CVE-2025-8383 identifies a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Depicter Popup and Slider Builder WordPress plugin, versions up to 4.0.4. The vulnerability stems from improper or missing nonce validation in the depicter-document-rules-store function, which is responsible for storing document rules that control popup and slider behaviors on WordPress sites. Because nonce validation is a key mechanism to prevent CSRF attacks by ensuring that requests originate from legitimate users, its absence allows attackers to craft malicious requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator (e.g., by clicking a specially crafted link), can modify these document rules without authorization. This can lead to unauthorized changes in popup content, potentially injecting misleading or malicious content such as fraudulent coupon popups or email collection forms. The vulnerability requires no authentication on the attacker’s part but does require user interaction (clicking a link). The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.3, reflecting a medium severity level due to the limited impact on confidentiality and availability, but a direct impact on integrity. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no patches are currently linked, indicating that mitigation may rely on plugin updates or manual hardening. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 4.0.4 of the plugin, which is used widely in WordPress environments for marketing and user engagement features.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the integrity of website content and user trust. Attackers exploiting this flaw can manipulate popup and slider content, potentially misleading visitors with fraudulent offers, phishing attempts, or unauthorized data collection forms. This can damage brand reputation, lead to loss of customer trust, and potentially expose organizations to regulatory scrutiny under GDPR if personal data is collected unlawfully. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality or availability, the indirect effects of manipulated content could facilitate further social engineering or phishing attacks. Organizations relying heavily on WordPress plugins for customer interaction, marketing campaigns, or e-commerce are particularly at risk. The requirement for user interaction (administrator clicking a malicious link) means that targeted phishing campaigns against site administrators could be an effective attack vector. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe, especially in countries with large digital economies, the impact could be significant if unaddressed.

European organizations should immediately verify if they use the Depicter Popup and Slider Builder plugin and identify the plugin version. If running version 4.0.4 or earlier, they should upgrade to a patched version once available. In the absence of an official patch, organizations should implement the following mitigations: (1) Restrict administrative access to trusted networks and use multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of administrator compromise. (2) Educate administrators about phishing and social engineering risks to prevent inadvertent clicking of malicious links. (3) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting the depicter-document-rules-store endpoint. (4) Monitor logs for unusual POST requests to the affected function and audit changes to popup and slider configurations. (5) Temporarily disable or remove the plugin if it is not critical to business operations until a patch is released. (6) Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the impact of injected content. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on administrative access controls, monitoring, and immediate risk reduction.