CVE-2025-31038
Remediation / Mitigation Strategy: CVE-2025-31038
Vulnerability: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in Essential Breadcrumbs plugin.
Description: The vulnerability allows an attacker to perform actions on behalf of an authenticated user without their knowledge or consent, potentially leading to privilege escalation. An attacker can craft a malicious request that, when triggered by an unsuspecting logged-in administrator, executes unintended actions within the Essential Breadcrumbs plugin.
Severity: High (CVSS Score: 8.8)
Known Exploit: While specific exploit code is not provided, the nature of CSRF vulnerabilities makes them relatively straightforward to exploit. An attacker can embed malicious code within a link, image, or script on a website or email. When a logged-in administrator visits this malicious content, their browser automatically sends the crafted request to the vulnerable plugin, executing the attacker’s intended action with the administrator’s privileges.
Remediation Steps:
Upgrade to a Patched Version: The most effective solution is to immediately upgrade to a version of Essential Breadcrumbs that includes a fix for CVE-2025-31038. Check the plugin developer’s website or the WordPress plugin repository for updates beyond version 1.1.1. If a patched version is not available, contact the plugin developer and urge them to release a security update.
Implement CSRF Protection: If a patch is unavailable, the plugin developers should implement CSRF protection mechanisms. This typically involves:
Synchronization Tokens: Adding a unique, unpredictable token to each sensitive form or request. This token is validated on the server-side to ensure the request originated from the legitimate user’s session.
Double Submit Cookies: Setting a cookie with a random value and including the same value as a hidden field in the form. The server validates that both values match.
Referer Header Checking (Less Reliable): Checking the
Refererheader to ensure the request originated from the application’s domain. However,Refererheaders can be easily spoofed or disabled by users, making this less reliable.
Mitigation Steps (If an immediate upgrade is not possible):
Educate Users: Inform administrators and users about the CSRF vulnerability and the potential risks. Advise them to be cautious about clicking on links or opening attachments from untrusted sources.
Limit Administrator Access: Restrict administrator privileges to only those users who absolutely require them. Principle of least privilege reduces the impact of a successful CSRF attack.
Monitor Activity: Monitor WordPress logs and server logs for suspicious activity that might indicate a CSRF attack. Look for unexpected changes to breadcrumb configurations or other sensitive plugin settings.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules (If available): If using a WAF, consider implementing rules that attempt to detect and block CSRF attacks. WAF rules can be customized to look for specific patterns associated with the vulnerable plugin’s requests. This may be difficult to implement without a full understanding of the plugins’ inner workings.
Disable the Plugin (If Feasible): As a last resort, if none of the above mitigation steps are feasible, consider temporarily disabling the Essential Breadcrumbs plugin until a patch is available. This will prevent potential exploitation but also remove the plugin’s functionality.
Assigner
- Patchstack [email protected]
Date
- Published Date: 2025-04-09 16:10:11
- Updated Date: 2025-04-09 20:02:42