CVE-2025-12128 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the WordPress plugin 'Hide Categories Or Products On Shop Page' developed by kaushikankrani. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.0.7 due to missing or incorrect nonce validation in the save_data_hcps() function, which handles saving plugin settings. Nonce validation is a security mechanism in WordPress to ensure that requests are legitimate and initiated by authenticated users. The absence of proper nonce checks allows an attacker to craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated administrator (via clicking a link or visiting a crafted page), causes unauthorized changes to the plugin's configuration. This attack vector does not require the attacker to be authenticated but does require user interaction from an administrator, making it a classic CSRF scenario. The impact is limited to integrity as attackers can modify plugin settings, potentially altering site behavior or exposing hidden categories/products unintentionally. Confidentiality and availability are not directly affected. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.3, reflecting its medium severity. No public exploits have been reported, and no patches are currently linked, indicating that mitigation may require manual intervention or waiting for an official update. The vulnerability was reserved on 2025-10-23 and published on 2025-12-05 by Wordfence.

For European organizations, especially those operating e-commerce websites on WordPress using the affected plugin, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized modification of site configuration. Attackers could manipulate which categories or products are hidden or displayed, potentially disrupting sales, misleading customers, or exposing sensitive product information. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise customer data confidentiality or site availability, unauthorized configuration changes can degrade user trust and business reputation. Additionally, altered site behavior might be leveraged in combination with other attacks, such as phishing or social engineering, to further compromise the organization. The requirement for administrator interaction limits the attack scope but does not eliminate risk, particularly in environments with less stringent user security awareness. Given the widespread use of WordPress and e-commerce platforms in Europe, the vulnerability could impact a significant number of small to medium enterprises relying on this plugin for product visibility management.

1. Monitor for an official patch or update from the plugin developer and apply it promptly once available. 2. In the interim, implement manual nonce validation in the save_data_hcps() function by adding proper WordPress nonce checks (e.g., using check_admin_referer or wp_verify_nonce) to ensure requests are legitimate. 3. Educate administrators and site managers about the risks of clicking unknown or suspicious links, especially while logged into administrative accounts. 4. Restrict administrative access to trusted networks or use multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of CSRF exploitation. 5. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block suspicious POST requests targeting the plugin’s endpoints. 6. Regularly audit plugin usage and configuration changes to detect unauthorized modifications quickly. 7. Consider temporarily disabling or replacing the plugin if immediate patching is not feasible and the risk is deemed unacceptable.