CVE-2025-14164 identifies a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Quran Gateway plugin for WordPress, specifically in all versions up to and including 1.5. The root cause is the absence of nonce validation in the quran_gateway_options function, which is responsible for managing the plugin's display settings. Nonce tokens are security mechanisms used in WordPress to verify that requests originate from legitimate users and not from malicious third parties. Without this validation, an attacker can craft a malicious URL or form that, when visited or submitted by an authenticated administrator, triggers unauthorized changes to the plugin's settings. The attack vector requires no privileges or authentication on the attacker’s part but does require user interaction from an administrator, such as clicking a specially crafted link. The vulnerability impacts the integrity of the plugin’s configuration but does not affect confidentiality or availability. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.3, reflecting a medium severity level due to the ease of exploitation combined with the limited scope of impact. No patches or fixes are currently linked, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-352, which covers CSRF attacks that exploit the trust a web application places in the user's browser. This vulnerability is particularly relevant for WordPress sites that use the Quran Gateway plugin to display religious content, potentially affecting administrators who manage these sites.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability is the potential unauthorized modification of plugin display settings, which could lead to misinformation or inappropriate content being shown on websites. While this does not directly compromise sensitive data or site availability, it undermines the integrity and trustworthiness of affected websites. Organizations that rely on the Quran Gateway plugin for cultural or religious content dissemination may face reputational damage if attackers manipulate the plugin’s settings. Additionally, attackers could use this vulnerability as part of a broader social engineering campaign targeting site administrators. The risk is heightened in environments where administrators may be less aware of phishing or social engineering tactics. Since the vulnerability requires administrator interaction, organizations with strong security awareness training may be less vulnerable. However, the widespread use of WordPress in Europe means that many sites could be exposed, especially those with religious or community-oriented content. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests limited active exploitation currently, but the vulnerability remains a risk until patched.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should first verify if they are using the Quran Gateway plugin version 1.5 or earlier and plan to update to a patched version once available. In the absence of an official patch, site administrators or developers should implement nonce validation in the quran_gateway_options function to ensure that all requests modifying plugin settings include a valid nonce token. This can be done by adding WordPress’s built-in nonce verification functions (e.g., check_admin_referer) to the relevant code paths. Additionally, administrators should be trained to recognize phishing attempts and avoid clicking on suspicious links, especially those received via email or social media. Web application firewalls (WAFs) can be configured to detect and block suspicious CSRF attempts targeting the plugin’s endpoints. Regular security audits and monitoring of plugin settings changes can help detect unauthorized modifications early. Organizations should also consider limiting administrator access and enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of compromised credentials facilitating exploitation.