CVE-2025-12410 identifies a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the SH Contextual Help plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 3.2.1. The root cause is the absence or incorrect implementation of nonce validation in the function sh_contextual_help_dashboard_widget(), which is responsible for handling dashboard widget interactions. Nonces in WordPress serve as tokens to verify the legitimacy of requests, preventing unauthorized actions. Without proper nonce checks, attackers can craft malicious requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator (via clicking a link or visiting a malicious page), cause unintended changes to plugin settings or injection of malicious scripts. This attack does not require the attacker to be authenticated but does require user interaction from an administrator, making social engineering a key component. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity by enabling unauthorized configuration changes and potential script injection, which can lead to further exploitation such as privilege escalation or data leakage. Availability is not directly impacted. The CVSS v3.1 score of 6.1 reflects a network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, but user interaction necessary, and partial impact on confidentiality and integrity. Currently, no public exploits or patches are reported, but the vulnerability is published and should be addressed promptly. The plugin is widely used in WordPress environments, which are prevalent across many European organizations, especially in SMEs and content-driven websites.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to the confidentiality and integrity of WordPress-based websites using the SH Contextual Help plugin. Attackers can manipulate plugin settings or inject malicious scripts by leveraging administrator actions, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, defacement, or further compromise of the web environment. This can affect customer trust, brand reputation, and compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR if personal data is exposed. The attack requires social engineering to convince administrators to interact with malicious content, which may be feasible in targeted phishing campaigns. Organizations with high reliance on WordPress for public-facing or internal portals are at increased risk. While availability is not directly impacted, the indirect consequences of injected scripts or altered settings could disrupt normal operations or lead to secondary attacks. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests a window for proactive mitigation before widespread exploitation occurs.

Organizations should immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify the presence of the SH Contextual Help plugin and verify the version in use. Until an official patch is released, administrators should consider disabling or removing the plugin if it is not essential. If the plugin is critical, implement compensating controls such as restricting administrator access to trusted networks, enforcing multi-factor authentication for admin accounts, and monitoring for unusual dashboard activity. Educate administrators about the risks of clicking unsolicited links or visiting untrusted websites while logged into WordPress admin panels. Implement web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block CSRF attempts targeting the plugin’s endpoints. Once a patch becomes available, apply it promptly. Additionally, plugin developers should update the sh_contextual_help_dashboard_widget() function to include proper nonce verification and validate all incoming requests to ensure authenticity. Regular security assessments and plugin update policies will help prevent similar vulnerabilities.