CVE-2025-54020 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the WordPress plugin 'Erik AntiSpam for Contact Form 7', affecting versions up to and including 0.6.3. CSRF vulnerabilities allow an attacker to trick an authenticated user into submitting unwanted actions on a web application in which they are currently authenticated. In this case, the vulnerability resides in the AntiSpam plugin designed to protect Contact Form 7, a widely used WordPress form plugin. The flaw permits an attacker to craft malicious requests that, when executed by a logged-in user (such as a site administrator or editor), can cause unauthorized changes or actions within the plugin's functionality. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.4 (medium severity), with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), but requiring user interaction (UI:R). The impact affects integrity and availability (I:L, A:L) but not confidentiality. No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, and no patches have been linked at the time of publication. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which covers CSRF issues. Given the plugin's role in spam prevention for forms, exploitation could lead to unauthorized form submissions or manipulation of anti-spam settings, potentially degrading site functionality or enabling further attacks such as spam flooding or bypassing spam filters.

For European organizations using WordPress websites with Contact Form 7 and the Erik AntiSpam plugin, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to perform unauthorized actions on the website without the site administrator's consent, potentially leading to degraded website availability or integrity issues. This could manifest as spam form submissions, altered anti-spam configurations, or other unauthorized changes that disrupt normal operations. While the vulnerability does not directly expose confidential data, the resulting disruption could impact customer trust and website reliability. Organizations in sectors relying heavily on web presence—such as e-commerce, government portals, and service providers—may face reputational damage and operational challenges. Additionally, if attackers leverage this vulnerability as a foothold, it could be a stepping stone for more severe attacks. The requirement for user interaction (e.g., an authenticated user clicking a malicious link) somewhat limits the attack scope but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with many users or less security awareness.

To mitigate this vulnerability effectively, European organizations should: 1) Immediately verify if their WordPress installations use the Erik AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 plugin, particularly versions up to 0.6.3. 2) Monitor official sources and plugin repositories for patches or updates addressing CVE-2025-54020 and apply them promptly once available. 3) Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to reduce the risk of CSRF by limiting the domains from which scripts and forms can be loaded. 4) Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all WordPress administrative users to reduce the risk of session hijacking or unauthorized access. 5) Educate users with administrative privileges about the risks of clicking unknown or suspicious links, as user interaction is required for exploitation. 6) Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block CSRF attack patterns targeting the affected plugin endpoints. 7) Regularly audit and monitor web server logs for unusual POST requests or form submissions that could indicate exploitation attempts. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on plugin-specific awareness and layered defenses tailored to the vulnerability's characteristics.