CVE-2025-9890
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-10-18
Last updated on: 2025-10-21
Assigner: Wordfence
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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| Percentile: |
Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| wordpress | theme_editor | 3.1 |
| wordpress | theme_editor | 3.0 |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-352 | The web application does not, or cannot, sufficiently verify whether a request was intentionally provided by the user who sent the request, which could have originated from an unauthorized actor. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) issue in the Theme Editor plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 3.0. It occurs because the plugin's 'theme_editor_theme' page lacks proper nonce validation, which is a security token used to verify legitimate requests. As a result, an unauthenticated attacker can trick a site administrator into performing unintended actions, such as clicking a malicious link, which can lead to remote code execution on the server.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can have severe impacts including remote code execution on your WordPress site. An attacker can exploit the CSRF flaw to execute arbitrary code by tricking an administrator into clicking a crafted link. This can lead to full compromise of the website, including unauthorized file modifications, data theft, site defacement, or further malware installation. The CVSS score of 8.8 indicates a high severity with potential for complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability loss.
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
Detection of this vulnerability involves checking if the WordPress installation is running the Theme Editor plugin version 3.0 or earlier, which lacks proper nonce validation on the 'theme_editor_theme' page. Since the vulnerability allows remote code execution via forged requests targeting site administrators, monitoring HTTP requests to the 'theme_editor_theme' page for suspicious POST requests without valid nonces can help detect exploitation attempts. Additionally, reviewing web server logs for unusual POST requests to theme editor endpoints or unexpected file modifications in theme directories may indicate exploitation. Specific commands could include: 1) Using grep to find POST requests to the theme editor page in web server logs, e.g., `grep 'POST.*theme_editor_theme' /var/log/apache2/access.log`; 2) Checking for recently modified theme files, e.g., `find wp-content/themes/ -type f -mtime -7` to find files modified in the last 7 days; 3) Using WordPress CLI to check plugin versions: `wp plugin list | grep theme-editor` to verify if the vulnerable version is installed. [1, 2]
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
Immediate mitigation steps include updating the Theme Editor plugin to version 3.1 or later, which contains security fixes addressing the vulnerability by implementing proper nonce validation and secure file write operations. If updating is not immediately possible, restrict access to the 'theme_editor_theme' page to trusted administrators only, and consider disabling the Theme Editor plugin temporarily to prevent exploitation. Additionally, monitor and audit theme files for unauthorized changes and ensure that site administrators are aware not to click on suspicious links that could trigger forged requests. [2]