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 used in WordPress to ensure that requests to change state originate from legitimate users and not from forged requests. Because this validation is absent or improperly implemented, an attacker can craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated administrator (e.g., by clicking a link), causes unauthorized changes to the plugin's settings. This attack does not require the attacker to be authenticated themselves but depends on social engineering to trick an administrator into performing the action. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the plugin's configuration but does not directly compromise confidentiality or availability. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3 (medium), reflecting the network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, but requiring user interaction. No patches or fixes are currently linked, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild. The vulnerability is cataloged under CWE-352, which is the standard classification for CSRF issues. This flaw could allow attackers to manipulate how categories or products are hidden on the shop page, potentially impacting user experience or business logic on affected WordPress e-commerce sites.

For European organizations, especially those operating e-commerce websites on WordPress using the affected plugin, this vulnerability poses a risk to the integrity of their site configuration. Unauthorized changes to plugin settings could alter product visibility or category display, potentially disrupting customer experience or business operations. While the vulnerability does not expose sensitive data or cause denial of service, the ability to modify site behavior without authorization can lead to reputational damage, loss of customer trust, or indirect financial impact. Given the reliance on WordPress for many small to medium enterprises in Europe, the threat is relevant to a broad range of sectors including retail, services, and digital content providers. The requirement for social engineering (tricking an administrator) means that organizations with strong user awareness and security policies may reduce risk, but those with less mature security practices are more vulnerable. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests limited active exploitation currently, but the vulnerability remains a potential vector for targeted attacks or automated exploitation if weaponized.

1. Monitor for plugin updates from the vendor or WordPress repository and apply patches promptly once available to address the nonce validation issue. 2. Until a patch is released, consider disabling or replacing the 'Hide Categories Or Products On Shop Page' plugin with alternative solutions that have verified security. 3. Implement strict administrative user training and awareness programs to reduce the risk of social engineering attacks that could trick administrators into clicking malicious links. 4. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block suspicious CSRF attempts targeting plugin endpoints. 5. Review and harden WordPress security configurations, including limiting administrator access and enforcing multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of compromised credentials. 6. Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability scans focused on WordPress plugins to identify and remediate similar issues proactively. 7. Use Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the sources of executable scripts and reduce the risk of CSRF and other injection attacks.