CVE-2025-13527 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the xShare plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.0.1. The vulnerability stems from the absence of nonce validation in the xshare_plugin_reset() function, which is responsible for resetting the plugin's settings. Nonce tokens are security mechanisms used in WordPress to verify that requests are intentional and originate from legitimate users. Without this validation, an attacker can craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated administrator (e.g., by clicking a specially crafted link), triggers the reset of plugin settings without their consent. This attack vector does not require the attacker to be authenticated but does require user interaction from a privileged user, making it a classic CSRF scenario. The impact primarily affects the integrity of the plugin's configuration, potentially leading to misconfigurations or loss of custom settings. Confidentiality and availability are not directly impacted. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.3, indicating medium severity, with an attack vector of network, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and user interaction necessary. No patches or exploits are currently reported, but the risk remains for sites using vulnerable versions of the plugin. The vulnerability was published on January 7, 2026, and was reserved in late 2025. The CWE classification is CWE-352, which corresponds to CSRF attacks.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the integrity of WordPress sites using the xShare plugin. Unauthorized resetting of plugin settings could disrupt site functionality, disable security features, or revert configurations to insecure defaults, potentially exposing the site to further attacks or operational issues. While it does not directly compromise data confidentiality or availability, the altered settings could indirectly facilitate other attacks or degrade user trust. Organizations relying on WordPress for critical web services, e-commerce, or customer engagement may experience reputational damage or operational interruptions. Since exploitation requires tricking an administrator, organizations with less security awareness or insufficient user training are at higher risk. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate future risk, especially as attackers often target WordPress plugins due to their widespread use in Europe. Compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR may also be impacted if site integrity issues lead to data exposure or service disruption.

1. Monitor for official patches or updates from the xShare plugin vendor and apply them promptly once available. 2. In the absence of patches, implement manual nonce validation in the xshare_plugin_reset() function to ensure requests are legitimate and originate from authorized users. 3. Educate administrators and privileged users about the risks of clicking on unsolicited or suspicious links, especially when logged into WordPress admin panels. 4. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules designed to detect and block CSRF attack patterns targeting WordPress plugins. 5. Limit administrative access to trusted networks or use multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of session hijacking and unauthorized actions. 6. Regularly audit plugin configurations and logs to detect unauthorized resets or configuration changes. 7. Consider disabling or removing the xShare plugin if it is not essential to reduce the attack surface. 8. Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts that could facilitate CSRF attacks.