CVE-2025-62733 identifies a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the WordPress plugin Custom Sidebars by ProteusThemes, affecting versions up to and including 1.0.3. CSRF vulnerabilities occur when an attacker tricks an authenticated user into submitting a request that performs an action without their consent. In this case, the vulnerability allows an attacker to craft malicious web requests that, when visited by an authenticated WordPress administrator or user with sufficient privileges, can modify sidebar configurations or settings managed by the plugin. The vulnerability does not require the attacker to have any privileges (PR:N) but does require the victim to interact with the malicious content (UI:R). The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), meaning it can be exploited remotely over the internet. The vulnerability impacts the integrity of the affected system by allowing unauthorized changes but does not affect confidentiality or availability. The scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the impact is limited to the vulnerable component without affecting other system components. The CVSS score of 4.3 reflects a medium severity level. No patches or exploits are currently publicly available, but the vulnerability has been officially published and reserved since October 2025. ProteusThemes Custom Sidebars is a popular plugin used to customize sidebar content on WordPress sites, which are widely deployed globally, including across Europe. The absence of patches means organizations must implement interim mitigations to reduce risk.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to the integrity of WordPress websites using the Custom Sidebars plugin. Unauthorized modification of sidebar content can lead to misinformation, defacement, or insertion of malicious links, potentially damaging brand reputation and user trust. While it does not directly compromise sensitive data confidentiality or site availability, altered sidebars can be leveraged as part of broader social engineering or phishing campaigns targeting site visitors. Organizations in sectors relying heavily on WordPress for public-facing content, such as media, e-commerce, education, and government, may face increased risk. The ease of exploitation—requiring only user interaction without authentication—means that attackers can target site administrators through phishing or malicious websites. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe and the popularity of customization plugins, the vulnerability could affect a significant number of sites if unmitigated. However, the lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate urgency but does not eliminate the threat.

European organizations should take proactive steps to mitigate this vulnerability despite the absence of an official patch. First, monitor ProteusThemes announcements and apply updates promptly once a patch for version 1.0.3 or earlier is released. Until then, implement anti-CSRF tokens or nonce verification mechanisms in the plugin code if feasible, to ensure requests modifying sidebar settings are legitimate. Restrict administrative access to trusted IP addresses or VPNs to reduce exposure to remote attacks. Educate WordPress administrators about the risks of clicking unknown links or visiting untrusted websites while logged into the WordPress dashboard. Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious POST requests targeting sidebar configuration endpoints. Regularly audit sidebar content and configurations for unauthorized changes. Consider temporarily disabling the plugin if it is not essential or replacing it with alternative plugins that do not have this vulnerability. Maintain strong access controls and multi-factor authentication for WordPress admin accounts to reduce the risk of session hijacking that could facilitate exploitation.