Overview
CVE-2025-13142 describes a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability found in the Custom Post Type plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including version 1.0. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to potentially delete custom post types by tricking a site administrator into clicking a malicious link or performing an unintended action. Due to the absence of proper nonce validation on the custom post type deletion functionality, an attacker can forge a request that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, leads to the deletion of a custom post type.
Technical Details
The vulnerability resides in the lack of nonce validation when deleting custom post types. Specifically, the cupta-dmin.php file (as referenced below) within the plugin lacks the necessary security checks to prevent unauthorized deletion requests. A nonce is a cryptographic token used to verify that a request originates from the legitimate source and is not a forged request from an attacker. Without this validation, an attacker can craft a malicious URL that, when visited by an authenticated administrator, triggers the deletion function within the plugin.
The vulnerable code can be found (or previously found in version 1.0) in cupta-dmin.php. The attacker can create a link targeting the deletion functionality. If an administrator clicks on that link while logged in to WordPress, the custom post type will be deleted without the administrator’s explicit consent, as the request appears to be legitimate to the server.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) assigns CVE-2025-13142 a score of 4.3 (Medium). This score reflects the following characteristics:
- Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – The vulnerability can be exploited over the network.
- Attack Complexity (AC): High (H) – The attacker needs to trick a user into performing an action.
- Privileges Required (PR): None (N) – No privileges are required to exploit the vulnerability.
- User Interaction (UI): Required (R) – User interaction is required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., clicking a link).
- Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – The vulnerability’s impact is limited to the affected component.
- Confidentiality Impact (C): None (N) – There is no impact to confidentiality.
- Integrity Impact (I): Low (L) – There is a low impact to integrity, as custom post types can be deleted.
- Availability Impact (A): None (N) – There is no impact to availability.
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to the following:
- Data Loss: Deletion of custom post types and associated data, potentially disrupting website functionality and content.
- Website Defacement: If custom post types are critical to website structure, their deletion can lead to visible errors and a degraded user experience.
- Business Disruption: Loss of critical data can impact business operations and require time-consuming recovery efforts.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
The most effective mitigation is to update the Custom Post Type plugin to a version that includes a fix for this vulnerability. Contact the plugin developer or check the WordPress plugin repository for an updated version. If an update is not available, consider the following temporary mitigation strategies:
- Disable the Plugin: If the Custom Post Type plugin is not essential, consider disabling it until a patch is available.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules: Implement WAF rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the plugin’s deletion functionality. (Requires advanced technical knowledge).
- Educate Administrators: Train WordPress administrators to be cautious about clicking on links from unknown or untrusted sources.
