CVE-2025-14391 identifies a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Simple Theme Changer plugin for WordPress, developed by darendev. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.0 due to missing or incorrect nonce validation mechanisms that are intended to protect against unauthorized state-changing requests. CSRF attacks exploit the trust a web application has in a user's browser by tricking authenticated users, in this case site administrators, into submitting forged HTTP requests. Because the plugin lacks proper nonce checks, an attacker can craft a malicious link or webpage that, when visited or clicked by an administrator, causes the plugin’s settings to be altered without the administrator’s consent. The vulnerability does not require the attacker to be authenticated but does require user interaction (clicking a link). The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.3, indicating a medium severity level, with the vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N. This means the attack can be performed remotely over the network with low attack complexity and no privileges, but requires user interaction. The impact is limited to integrity, as attackers can modify plugin settings but cannot directly compromise confidentiality or availability. No patches or exploits are currently publicly available, but the vulnerability is published and should be addressed promptly. The plugin’s widespread use in WordPress sites makes this a relevant concern for administrators who must ensure nonce validation is implemented correctly to prevent CSRF attacks.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability is the unauthorized modification of plugin settings, which can lead to misconfiguration, potential site defacement, or enabling of insecure themes or features. While it does not directly expose sensitive data or cause denial of service, altered settings could weaken the overall security posture or user experience of the affected websites. Organizations relying on WordPress for their web presence, especially those using the Simple Theme Changer plugin, face risks of administrative account misuse through social engineering. This could undermine trust in their web services and potentially facilitate further attacks if attackers leverage the changed settings to introduce malicious content or backdoors. Given the medium severity and requirement for user interaction, the threat is moderate but significant enough to warrant immediate attention, particularly for high-profile or customer-facing sites in sectors such as e-commerce, government, and media within Europe.

1. Monitor for and apply any official patches or updates from darendev as soon as they become available. 2. If no patch is currently available, consider temporarily disabling or uninstalling the Simple Theme Changer plugin to eliminate exposure. 3. Implement strict nonce validation in the plugin code to ensure all state-changing requests are protected against CSRF. 4. Educate site administrators about the risks of clicking unknown or suspicious links, emphasizing phishing and social engineering awareness. 5. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block suspicious CSRF attempts targeting WordPress admin endpoints. 6. Regularly audit plugin configurations and logs for unauthorized changes. 7. Limit administrative access to trusted networks or use multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of compromised admin sessions. 8. Consider using security plugins that add additional CSRF protections or monitor for anomalous admin activity.