CVE-2025-14454 identifies a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Image Slider by Ays- Responsive Slider and Carousel WordPress plugin, versions up to and including 2.7.0. The vulnerability stems from the plugin's bulk delete functionality lacking proper nonce validation, a security mechanism designed to ensure that requests originate from legitimate users and not from malicious third parties. Without this validation, an attacker can craft a malicious web request that, if an authenticated site administrator is tricked into clicking (for example, via a phishing email or malicious website), will execute the bulk deletion of sliders on the affected WordPress site. This attack vector requires no prior authentication by the attacker but does require user interaction from an administrator, making it a targeted social engineering risk. The vulnerability impacts the integrity of the website content by allowing unauthorized deletion of slider elements but does not affect confidentiality or availability. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3 (medium), reflecting the ease of exploitation (network vector, low attack complexity), no privileges required, but user interaction is necessary, and the impact is limited to integrity loss without confidentiality or availability impact. No patches or exploit code are currently publicly available, and no known active exploitation has been reported. The vulnerability was reserved and published in December 2025 by Wordfence and is tracked under CWE-352, which covers CSRF weaknesses.

For European organizations, this vulnerability primarily threatens the integrity of WordPress sites using the affected plugin. Unauthorized deletion of image sliders can degrade website functionality and user experience, potentially harming brand reputation and customer trust. While the vulnerability does not expose sensitive data or cause denial of service, the loss of content could disrupt marketing campaigns or product showcases reliant on these sliders. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability as part of a broader social engineering campaign targeting site administrators. Organizations in sectors with high reliance on web presence, such as e-commerce, media, and public services, may face operational disruptions or reputational damage. Additionally, recovery from such attacks may require administrative effort to restore deleted content, incurring indirect costs. Given the requirement for administrator interaction, the risk is mitigated somewhat by user awareness but remains significant where phishing defenses are weak.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should first verify if they use the Image Slider by Ays- Responsive Slider and Carousel plugin and identify the version in use. Immediate steps include: 1) Updating the plugin to a version beyond 2.7.0 once a patch is released by the vendor; 2) If no patch is available, temporarily disabling or removing the plugin to prevent exploitation; 3) Implementing strict administrative access controls and limiting administrator privileges to trusted personnel; 4) Enhancing user awareness training to recognize and avoid phishing attempts that could trick administrators into clicking malicious links; 5) Employing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious bulk delete requests targeting the plugin’s endpoints; 6) Monitoring web server and WordPress logs for unusual bulk delete activity or unexpected POST requests; 7) Utilizing security plugins that can add additional nonce verification or CSRF protection layers; 8) Regularly backing up website content, including sliders, to enable rapid restoration in case of unauthorized deletions. These measures combined reduce the risk of exploitation and limit potential damage.