CVE-2025-2871 identifies a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the WordPress Mega Menu – QuadMenu plugin, versions up to and including 3.2.0. The vulnerability stems from improper or missing nonce validation in the ajax_dismiss_notice() AJAX handler function. Nonces in WordPress are security tokens used to verify that requests originate from legitimate users and not from malicious third parties. The lack of proper nonce validation allows an unauthenticated attacker to craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated administrator (via clicking a link or visiting a malicious page), can update arbitrary user meta fields. Critically, this includes the wp_capabilities meta key, which controls user roles and permissions. By manipulating this field, an attacker can cause privilege deescalation of administrators, potentially reducing their access rights or altering their capabilities. The attack requires user interaction, specifically the administrator performing an action that triggers the forged request. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or availability directly but affects integrity by allowing unauthorized modification of user metadata. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3, reflecting a network attack vector (no privileges required), low attack complexity, no privileges required, but requiring user interaction and limited impact on integrity only. No patches or exploits are currently publicly available, but the vulnerability is published and known. Given the popularity of WordPress and the QuadMenu plugin, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk to websites using this plugin, especially those with multiple administrators or complex role management. The vulnerability is cataloged under CWE-352, a common web security weakness related to CSRF attacks.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-2871 is the potential unauthorized modification of user metadata, including critical role and capability information (wp_capabilities). This can lead to privilege deescalation of administrators, which may disrupt administrative functions, weaken site security, or cause operational issues. Although the vulnerability does not allow privilege escalation or direct data exfiltration, the integrity compromise can enable attackers to reduce administrator privileges, potentially as part of a broader attack chain or to evade detection. For organizations, this can result in loss of control over site management, increased risk of further exploitation, and potential downtime or misconfiguration. Since WordPress powers a significant portion of the web, and the QuadMenu plugin is widely used for menu management, the vulnerability affects a broad range of websites including corporate, e-commerce, and content platforms. The requirement for user interaction (administrator clicking a malicious link) limits automated exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially in targeted phishing or social engineering campaigns. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not preclude future attacks. Overall, the impact is moderate but significant enough to warrant prompt mitigation to maintain site integrity and administrative control.

To mitigate CVE-2025-2871, organizations should first check for and apply any official patches or updates from the QuadLayers plugin vendor once available. In the absence of patches, administrators should consider temporarily disabling the plugin or restricting its usage to trusted administrators only. Implementing Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious POST requests targeting ajax_dismiss_notice() can reduce risk. Administrators should be trained to recognize phishing attempts and avoid clicking on untrusted links, especially when logged into WordPress admin panels. Additionally, enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrator accounts can reduce the impact of compromised sessions. Reviewing and minimizing the number of users with administrator privileges lowers the attack surface. Site owners can also implement nonce validation manually by customizing the plugin code or using security plugins that enforce nonce checks on AJAX requests. Regular audits of user roles and capabilities should be conducted to detect unauthorized changes promptly. Monitoring logs for unusual AJAX activity related to the plugin can provide early warning of exploitation attempts.