The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-12388 affects the bplugins Carousel Block – Responsive Image and Content Carousel plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 1.1.5. This SSRF vulnerability arises because the plugin does not properly validate user-supplied URLs before passing them to the WordPress function wp_remote_request(), which performs HTTP requests from the server. An attacker with authenticated access at the subscriber level or higher can exploit this by submitting crafted URLs that cause the server to make arbitrary HTTP requests to internal or external systems. This can lead to unauthorized querying or modification of internal services that are otherwise inaccessible externally, potentially exposing sensitive data or enabling further attacks within the internal network. The vulnerability requires authentication but no additional user interaction, and the scope includes any WordPress site using the affected plugin version. The CVSS 3.1 score of 6.4 reflects a medium severity, with network attack vector, low attack complexity, and privileges required. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a significant risk for organizations relying on this plugin, especially those with critical internal services behind the web server. The lack of patch links indicates that a fix may not yet be available, emphasizing the need for interim mitigations.

For European organizations, this SSRF vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to internal services that are not directly exposed to the internet, potentially compromising sensitive data confidentiality and integrity. Attackers could leverage this to pivot within the network, escalate privileges, or extract information from internal APIs, databases, or management interfaces. The impact is particularly concerning for organizations with complex internal infrastructures or those hosting sensitive applications behind their WordPress sites. Given the medium severity, the risk is moderate but non-negligible, especially in sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure where internal service exposure could have serious consequences. Additionally, the requirement for authenticated access means that attackers might first need to compromise low-privilege user accounts, which are common on public-facing WordPress sites. The vulnerability does not affect availability directly but could facilitate further attacks that do.

Immediate mitigation steps include restricting outbound HTTP requests from the web server hosting the WordPress site using network-level controls such as firewall rules or proxy restrictions to limit requests to only trusted destinations. Administrators should monitor and audit user accounts with subscriber-level or higher privileges to detect suspicious activity. Implementing strict input validation or sanitization for URLs passed to wp_remote_request() can reduce exploitation risk if custom code modifications are feasible. Until an official patch is released, consider disabling or removing the vulnerable plugin if it is not essential. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules designed to detect and block SSRF attempts targeting this plugin. Regularly update WordPress core and plugins to the latest versions once patches become available. Finally, conduct internal network segmentation to limit the impact of SSRF by restricting access to sensitive internal services from the web server.