CVE-2025-59009 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the Astoundify Listify WordPress plugin, specifically affecting versions up to and including 3.2.5. CSRF vulnerabilities occur when an attacker tricks an authenticated user into submitting a forged HTTP request, causing the user’s browser to perform unwanted actions on a web application where they are logged in. In this case, the vulnerability allows an attacker to induce users to perform actions within Listify without their knowledge or consent, potentially altering listings or configurations. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.3, reflecting a medium severity level, with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:R), unchanged scope (S:U), no confidentiality impact (C:N), low integrity impact (I:L), and no availability impact (A:N). This means the attack can be launched remotely without authentication but requires the victim to interact with a malicious link or webpage. The vulnerability does not directly expose sensitive data or cause service disruption but can undermine data integrity by allowing unauthorized modifications. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet, though the vulnerability was published in December 2025. Astoundify Listify is a popular WordPress plugin used for creating directory and listing websites, which are common in various sectors including real estate, business directories, and event listings. The lack of CSRF protections suggests missing or inadequate anti-CSRF tokens or origin checks in the affected plugin versions. Organizations using Listify should be aware of this risk, especially if their users have elevated privileges or if the listings are critical to business operations.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-59009 lies in the potential unauthorized modification of listings or configurations within Listify-powered websites. This can lead to misinformation, reputational damage, or disruption of business processes relying on accurate directory data. While the vulnerability does not expose confidential information or cause denial of service, integrity violations can affect trustworthiness and operational reliability. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to insert malicious links, alter contact information, or manipulate listings to mislead users or divert business. Sectors such as real estate, tourism, local business directories, and event management that rely heavily on Listify may be particularly vulnerable. Given the medium severity and requirement for user interaction, the threat is moderate but should not be ignored. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the potential for targeted phishing or social engineering attacks exploiting this vulnerability remains. European organizations must consider the regulatory implications of data integrity breaches under GDPR, especially if manipulated listings lead to misinformation affecting consumers.

To mitigate CVE-2025-59009, organizations should implement several specific measures beyond generic advice: 1) Immediately audit all Listify installations to identify affected versions (<=3.2.5) and plan for upgrades once patches are released by Astoundify. 2) Until patches are available, deploy web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious CSRF-like requests targeting Listify endpoints. 3) Enforce strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to reduce the risk of malicious cross-origin requests. 4) Educate users and administrators about the risks of clicking unknown links or visiting untrusted websites while logged into Listify-powered sites. 5) Review and harden user roles and permissions within WordPress to minimize the impact of unauthorized actions. 6) Implement additional server-side CSRF protections if possible, such as validating the HTTP Referer or Origin headers for sensitive requests. 7) Monitor logs for unusual activity indicative of CSRF exploitation attempts. 8) Engage with Astoundify support or community channels to track patch releases and apply updates promptly. These targeted actions will reduce the attack surface and mitigate the risk until an official fix is deployed.