Overview
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability has been identified in the Dream Gallery plugin for WordPress, tracked as CVE-2025-13621. This vulnerability affects all versions of the plugin up to and including version 1.0. Due to missing or inadequate nonce validation on the ‘dreampluginsmain’ AJAX action, unauthenticated attackers can potentially modify the plugin’s settings and inject malicious web scripts by crafting a forged request. The success of this attack relies on tricking a site administrator into unknowingly triggering the request, for instance, by clicking a malicious link.
Technical Details
The vulnerability stems from the lack of proper nonce validation within the dreampluginsmain AJAX action handler in the Dream Gallery plugin. Nonces are cryptographic tokens used to verify that a request originated from the legitimate user interface and prevent CSRF attacks. The absence of this check allows an attacker to craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated administrator, can alter plugin settings and potentially inject harmful scripts into the WordPress site. The vulnerable code can be observed in the plugin’s source files (see references below).
Specifically, the absence of nonce validation around lines 254 and 257 in dreamgallery.php allows attackers to manipulate settings, while the potential for injecting scripts is linked to how these settings are processed and rendered, possibly through front.php.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) assigns this vulnerability a score of 6.1, classifying it as MEDIUM severity. This score reflects the potential impact of the vulnerability, considering factors such as the ease of exploitation, required privileges, and potential damage. The specific vector string is not available but a base score of 6.1 typically indicates network attack vector (AV:N), requiring user interaction (UI:R) but low complexity (AC:L) and potential impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability.
Possible Impact
A successful CSRF attack exploiting CVE-2025-13621 can have significant consequences:
- Website Defacement: Attackers could inject malicious scripts to alter the appearance of the website.
- Data Theft: Scripts could be used to steal sensitive data, including user credentials or customer information.
- Malware Distribution: The website could be used to distribute malware to visitors.
- Administrative Control: In severe cases, attackers could gain complete control over the WordPress site by injecting malicious code into the theme or other critical areas.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
Unfortunately, based on the information available, there is no official patch released by the plugin developers. Therefore, the recommended mitigation steps are:
- Remove the Plugin: If the Dream Gallery plugin is not essential, the safest option is to remove it entirely from your WordPress installation.
- Monitor for Updates: Keep an eye on the WordPress plugin repository and developer’s website for any future updates that address this vulnerability.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with CSRF protection rules. This can help detect and block malicious requests.
