CVE-2025-48233 is a high-severity vulnerability classified as CWE-352, which corresponds to a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) issue found in the affmngr Affiliates Manager Google reCAPTCHA Integration plugin, specifically affecting versions up to 1.0.6. The vulnerability enables an attacker to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of an authenticated user by exploiting the lack of proper CSRF protections. This vulnerability is further complicated by the presence of Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), which can be triggered through the CSRF attack vector. The combination of CSRF and stored XSS allows an attacker to inject malicious scripts that persist within the application, potentially compromising user sessions, stealing sensitive data, or manipulating affiliate management functions. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.1 reflects a high severity level, indicating that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely (AV:N), requires no privileges (PR:N), but does require user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), meaning the vulnerability affects components beyond the initially vulnerable component, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a limited extent (C:L/I:L/A:L). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, suggesting that mitigation may require vendor updates or manual intervention. The vulnerability affects the integration of Google reCAPTCHA within the Affiliates Manager plugin, which is commonly used to prevent spam and automated abuse in affiliate marketing platforms. The CSRF flaw undermines the security guarantees of reCAPTCHA, allowing attackers to bypass protections and execute malicious requests that can alter affiliate data or user settings.

For European organizations using the affmngr Affiliates Manager Google reCAPTCHA Integration plugin, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Affiliate marketing platforms often handle sensitive business data, including commission structures, user credentials, and transaction records. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized changes in affiliate configurations, fraudulent commission claims, or injection of malicious scripts that compromise user sessions and data confidentiality. The presence of stored XSS increases the risk of persistent attacks affecting multiple users, potentially leading to widespread credential theft or session hijacking. This could damage the reputation of organizations, lead to financial losses, and violate data protection regulations such as GDPR if personal data is exposed or manipulated. The requirement for user interaction means phishing or social engineering could be used to trigger the attack, increasing the attack surface. Given the integration with Google reCAPTCHA, organizations relying on this plugin for bot mitigation may find their defenses bypassed, increasing exposure to automated attacks and spam. The lack of patches at the time of publication means organizations must act quickly to implement interim mitigations to reduce risk.

European organizations should immediately audit their use of the affmngr Affiliates Manager Google reCAPTCHA Integration plugin and identify affected versions (up to 1.0.6). Until an official patch is released, organizations should consider the following specific mitigations: 1) Disable or remove the vulnerable plugin if feasible to eliminate the attack vector. 2) Implement additional CSRF protections at the web application firewall (WAF) level, such as enforcing strict origin and referer header checks to block unauthorized requests. 3) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate the impact of stored XSS by restricting script execution sources. 4) Educate users and administrators about phishing risks to reduce the likelihood of user interaction that triggers the exploit. 5) Monitor affiliate management logs for unusual activity indicative of CSRF or XSS exploitation attempts. 6) If disabling the plugin is not possible, restrict access to the affiliate management interface to trusted IPs or VPNs to limit exposure. 7) Stay informed about vendor updates or patches and apply them promptly once available. 8) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on CSRF and XSS vulnerabilities in affiliate management systems.