CVE-2025-14904 is a medium-severity CSRF vulnerability identified in the Newsletter Email Subscribe plugin for WordPress, maintained by anilankola. The vulnerability stems from incorrect nonce validation within the nels_settings_page function, which is responsible for handling plugin settings updates. Nonces are security tokens used to verify the legitimacy of requests and prevent CSRF attacks. Due to improper validation, an attacker can craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated administrator (via clicking a link or visiting a crafted webpage), causes unauthorized changes to the plugin’s configuration. This attack does not require the attacker to be authenticated but does require user interaction from a privileged user, making it a targeted threat. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 2.4 of the plugin. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3, reflecting a network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, unchanged scope, no confidentiality impact, limited integrity impact, and no availability impact. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability could be leveraged to alter plugin behavior, potentially enabling further attacks or disrupting newsletter subscription processes. The plugin is widely used in WordPress environments, which are prevalent across many European organizations, especially in SMBs and content-driven websites.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the integrity of WordPress plugin configurations. Unauthorized changes to the Newsletter Email Subscribe plugin settings could lead to manipulation of newsletter subscription processes, potentially enabling spam campaigns, phishing distribution, or disruption of legitimate communications. While confidentiality and availability are not directly impacted, the integrity compromise could erode trust in organizational communications and lead to reputational damage. Organizations with WordPress sites managed by administrators susceptible to phishing or social engineering are particularly vulnerable. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe, especially in countries with high digital adoption like Germany, the UK, France, and the Netherlands, the threat could affect a significant number of websites. Attackers might exploit this vulnerability as a foothold for more complex attacks or to spread misinformation via newsletters.

1. Monitor the plugin vendor’s official channels for security patches and apply updates promptly once available. 2. Until patches are released, implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious POST requests targeting the plugin’s settings endpoints. 3. Educate WordPress administrators about the risks of phishing and social engineering, emphasizing caution when clicking links from untrusted sources. 4. Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for WordPress admin accounts to reduce the risk of account compromise. 5. Review and harden WordPress security configurations, including limiting administrative access and using security plugins that can detect anomalous configuration changes. 6. Consider temporarily disabling or replacing the Newsletter Email Subscribe plugin if it is not critical, to eliminate exposure until a fix is available. 7. Regularly audit plugin settings and logs for unauthorized changes to detect potential exploitation early.