WordPress Quran Gateway plugin (<= 1.5) — CSRF to Settings Update (CVE‑2025‑14164)

An expert breakdown from a Hong Kong security expert

Date: 19 December 2025

执行摘要

• Vulnerability: Cross‑Site Request Forgery (CSRF) that allows unauthorized state changes to plugin settings in Quran Gateway plugin <= 1.5.
• CVE: CVE‑2025‑14164
• Reported / Published: 19 Dec 2025
• Severity: Low (CVSS 4.3) — but still material because settings changes can lead to secondary issues.
• Exploitation: Requires a privileged user (typically an authenticated admin or other privileged role) to perform a user interaction such as clicking a crafted link or visiting a malicious page while logged in.
• Immediate action for site owners: deactivate the plugin where possible, restrict admin access, enable WAF protections that block CSRF attempts, rotate credentials and tokens, monitor logs and settings changes.
• Developer remediation: properly validate nonces, enforce capability checks (current_user_can), verify referer/origin server‑side, and avoid state changes from unauthenticated AJAX endpoints.

This advisory focuses on defensive measures and safe remediation; it does not provide exploit code or step‑by‑step instructions that would make abuse easier. The guidance is written from the perspective of a Hong Kong‑based security practitioner with practical operational experience defending WordPress installations.

What is the vulnerability?

Cross‑Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is a design weakness that allows an attacker to cause an authenticated user’s browser to perform unwanted actions on a trusted site. In the Quran Gateway plugin (<= 1.5), a settings update endpoint can be triggered without proper CSRF protections (nonce checks / referer/origin validation). An attacker can craft a page or request that — if opened or interacted with by a privileged user who is currently authenticated to the WordPress site — will cause plugin settings to be changed.

The vulnerability is categorized as CSRF (a Broken Access Control/authorization issue in the OWASP sense) because it allows state changes without ensuring that the request is intentionally issued by a legitimate user from a valid UI flow.

Key technical points (high level)

• The plugin exposes a settings update action that performs state changes (writes configuration) without verifying a valid WordPress nonce or other server‑side CSRF token.
• The endpoint relies solely on the browser’s authentication cookie to authenticate the request; this enables CSRF if referer/origin or nonce checks are missing.
• Exploitation requires an authenticated user with sufficient privileges (site admin or other role allowed to update the plugin settings) to take an action under attacker control (e.g., visiting a trap page or clicking a link).

Why CSRF matters for WordPress plugins

WordPress relies on cookies for session management. If a plugin exposes state‑changing endpoints in admin pages or via AJAX and fails to verify a valid nonce or capability server‑side, attackers can leverage a logged‑in admin’s browser as an attack surface. The consequences depend on what settings the plugin controls — from benign to impactful:

• Low impact: cosmetic preferences, non‑security related display options.
• Moderate impact: altering feed URLs, enabling remote resources, or switching APIs that leak data or enable tracking.
• High impact (secondary): injecting external URLs, toggling features that bypass sanitization, introducing malicious callback URLs or API keys — which could be used for phishing or server‑side data exfiltration.

Even when the CVSS base score is “low,” CSRF can be a pivot to more severe attacks if the changed settings expose credentials, remote code execution, or data leakage. Treat CSRF in admin functionality seriously.

Impact and realistic exploitation scenarios

Practical examples of what an attacker could do if they exploit this vulnerability (hypothetical, non‑exhaustive):

• Modify plugin configuration to point to an attacker‑controlled resource (e.g., remote audio/text feed), which could be used to serve malicious content or track site visitors.
• Disable security‑related options (if present) or change API keys to keys controlled by an attacker, enabling data interception or impersonation.
• Change display or redirect settings that perform phishing or lead a privileged user to disclose additional credentials.
• Combine with other vulnerabilities or social engineering to escalate impact (e.g., change an SMTP or webhook URL so that notifications are sent to an attacker).

Note: exploiting the vulnerability requires user interaction by a privileged account. Unauthenticated mass compromise of sites via this issue alone is unlikely — but targeted attacks against high‑value sites are possible.

谁受到影响

• WordPress sites that have the Quran Gateway plugin installed and the plugin version is <= 1.5.
• Privileged users (admins, possibly editors depending on capability checks in the plugin) who access the WordPress admin dashboard and are logged in.
• Hosts, agencies, and multi‑site installations where multiple admins or editors could be tricked into interacting with malicious content.

If you run the plugin and the version is <= 1.5, assume you are vulnerable until you either apply an official fix or implement compensating controls described below.

How to detect whether your site has been impacted

Detection requires looking for indicators that plugin settings changed unexpectedly or that an attacker attempted a CSRF flow.

Signs to look for

• Unexpected changes in the plugin settings UI (feeds, API keys, redirect URLs, enabled features).
• Unfamiliar external endpoints configured in plugin settings (external hosts, IPs or domains you don’t control).
• Admin activity logs showing settings updates at odd times or by admin users who deny performing changes.
• Suspicious POST requests to admin endpoints or the plugin’s update URL from referrers outside your domain (check server logs).
• Alerts from website scanners or WAF that flag suspect requests or referer mismatches.

Useful detection queries and checks

• Search the WordPress options table for plugin‑related options:

  SELECT option_name, option_value FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE '%quran%';

  Inspect values for unexpected domains, keys, or configuration changes.

• Check web server logs for POST requests to admin pages (wp-admin/admin-post.php, admin-ajax.php or the plugin’s settings URL) with missing or external referers.
• Fetch recent changes in WP audit logs (if you have an auditing plugin) and verify the accounts that made changes.
• Run a full malware and configuration scan—look for modified files and suspicious cron jobs.

If you find evidence of unauthorized settings changes, treat it as an incident and follow the incident response steps below.

Immediate mitigation checklist (site owners)

If you host WordPress sites, act fast. Prioritize sites by public visibility and business impact.

1. Check plugin version

   In the WordPress admin, go to Plugins and confirm Quran Gateway version. If it’s <= 1.5, you’re in scope.

2. Temporary mitigation (fast, low risk)

   Deactivate the plugin if you can do so without breaking critical functionality. This removes the vulnerable surface. If immediate deactivation is not possible, restrict admin access and apply network/WAF compensations.

3. Restrict admin access

   Restrict access to wp-admin to specific IPs (via host firewall or .htaccess) for the duration of mitigation. Enforce strong admin passwords and ensure all admin users have multi‑factor authentication.

4. Rotate credentials and keys

   If the plugin stored API keys, webhooks, or external credentials, rotate them if there’s any doubt about compromise.

5. 监控和记录。

   Start real‑time monitoring of admin POST requests and log new entries to the site audit log. Export webserver logs for forensic review: look for external referer POSTs to admin endpoints.

6. 通知利益相关者

   Inform your internal security and operations team; prioritize high‑traffic sites and ecommerce.

7. Apply virtual patching or WAF rules

   Configure your WAF or edge protection to block suspicious cross‑site POSTs and to prevent changes to plugin settings via externally originated requests.

8. Update when patch available

   When the plugin author releases an official fix, test the update in staging and apply in production after validation.

Mitigations and recommended WAF rules

Use layered defenses while awaiting an official plugin patch: block the attack vector (CSRF), detect abnormal admin actions, and apply virtual patching if possible.

High‑level defenses

• Reject POST requests to admin plugin settings endpoints where the Request‑Origin or Referer is outside the site domain.
• Verify presence of valid WordPress nonces as an indicator of legitimate UI request flows.
• Block automated or scripted requests that attempt state changes (rate limit POSTs to admin endpoints).
• Virtual patching: intercept requests that match the vulnerable pattern and drop or return a 403 before they reach WordPress.
• Audit logging and alerting for any blocked attempt or settings change.

Recommended WAF rule patterns (conceptual)

Apply rules tailored to your stack and test in monitoring mode first. Example patterns:

• Block POST requests to the plugin settings URI if:
  • HTTP_REFERER is absent or does not match your site domain, AND
  • No valid WordPress nonce parameter is present.
• Block or rate limit requests where Content‑Type is unusual for admin POSTs (e.g., text/plain).
• Block POSTs to admin endpoints that include parameters known to update plugin settings and that originate from third‑party domains.

Conceptual example (illustrative only — adapt to your environment and test carefully):

# Block POSTs to plugin settings update when referer/origin mismatch and nonce absent
# (Conceptual ModSecurity-style rule; do not copy verbatim)
SecRule REQUEST_METHOD "POST" "chain,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'Block possible CSRF to plugin settings'"
  SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin-post.php" "chain"
  SecRule &ARGS:_wpnonce "@eq 0" "chain"
  SecRule REQUEST_HEADERS:Referer "!@contains yoursite.com" "t:none"
  

注意：

• Test any virtual patch thoroughly to avoid blocking legitimate admin workflows. Start in detect/logging mode and transition to blocking once confident.
• If your WAF can validate nonce formats or patterns, you can be more precise by checking that _wpnonce exists and matches expected patterns.
• Consider SameSite cookie attributes (Lax or Strict) as part of a browser‑side mitigation strategy to reduce the chance of CSRF-originated requests.

Long-term developer fixes and secure coding for plugin authors

The correct fix is straightforward but critical for plugin authors:

1. Verify capability checks

   For any state change or settings write, check the appropriate capability:

   if ( ! current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) { wp_die( 'No permission' ); }

2. Use WordPress nonces and verify them

   Add nonces to forms: wp_nonce_field( 'quran_gateway_settings_save', '_wpnonce_qg_save' ). On submission, call check_admin_referer( 'quran_gateway_settings_save', '_wpnonce_qg_save' ) or an equivalent nonce verification.

3. Validate Origin/Referer as defense-in-depth

   While nonces are primary, checking the Origin/Referer header server‑side is useful as additional verification.

4. Sanitize and validate inputs

   Never write raw user input to options. Use sanitize_text_field(), esc_url_raw(), and other sanitizers appropriate to the data.

5. Protect AJAX endpoints

   For admin AJAX requests, check privileges in the handler and use wp_ajax_ hooks with capability validation and nonce checks.

6. Document security

   Provide clear upgrade notes and communication to site admins explaining why a patch is required and what changes were made.

Operational hardening and prevention for site owners

Treat CSRF as an architectural risk and harden operations:

• Enforce principle of least privilege — Only give admin rights to users who absolutely need them. Use custom roles for editorial work.
• Use multi‑factor authentication (MFA) — MFA reduces the effectiveness of stolen credentials and mitigates social‑engineering post‑login risks.
• Limit and audit plugins — Keep a catalog of plugins, versions, and what settings they manage. Remove rarely used plugins.
• Harden wp‑admin access — IP allow‑listing, HTTP auth, or bastion access for admin pages reduce exposure.
• Enforce strong cookie policies — Use Secure, HttpOnly, and SameSite attributes for authentication cookies.
• Automatic backups and change monitoring — Maintain regular backups and enable file integrity monitoring; make incident recovery fast.

Monitoring, incident response and cleanup

If you suspect compromise or unauthorized changes:

1. Isolate and preserve logs — Keep a copy of webserver logs and WP activity logs for investigation.
2. Revoke and rotate credentials — Rotate any API keys or credentials stored in plugin settings if they may have been changed.
3. Revert plugin configuration — Restore trusted configuration from backups or audit logs.
4. Full site scan — Run malware and integrity scanning across WP core, themes, and plugins.
5. Re‑issue tokens and cookies — If you suspect session misuse, force logout for all users and require password resets and MFA re‑enrollment where necessary.
6. Restore from backup if necessary — If an attacker made irreversible changes, restore from a known good backup and reapply security controls.
7. Post‑incident: root cause analysis — Determine if the issue was purely a plugin flaw or part of a broader compromise, and update processes accordingly.

Timeline, severity, and risk assessment

• Disclosure date: 19 December 2025
• Affected versions: Quran Gateway <= 1.5
• CVE: CVE‑2025‑14164
• CVSS: Published as 4.3 (Low). Attack Vector: Network, Attack Complexity: Low, Privileges Required: None (but UI interaction), User Interaction: Required.
• Patch status: At time of disclosure, no official fix had been published. Follow the plugin author for updates and apply patches after testing.

Risk assessment guidance: Low CVSS does not mean “ignore.” This vulnerability targets admin functionality and depends on user interaction. Targeted attacks against high‑value WordPress sites make it interesting to attackers. Prioritise compensating controls immediately, plan to update the plugin when the author publishes a fix, and monitor audit logs.

Summary and recommendations

Immediate steps:

1. Check if Quran Gateway plugin (≤1.5) is installed on your site(s).
2. If yes, deactivate the plugin if feasible. If not, restrict admin access and apply carefully tested WAF rules to block suspect POSTs.
3. Rotate any API keys or external credentials that might be stored in plugin settings.
4. Implement virtual patching via your edge/WAF service or server controls to block CSRF patterns until an official patch is available.
5. Monitor logs and admin activity for suspicious changes.
6. Apply the official plugin update as soon as it is available — test in staging first.

Developer fix summary: add nonce checks, capability checks, validate referer/origin, sanitize inputs and protect AJAX handlers.

Prevention and hardening: keep plugins to a minimum, enforce MFA for admin accounts, use least privilege, and maintain an incident playbook. Security is iterative — every plugin vulnerability is a chance to improve processes, monitoring, and posture.

If you need assistance beyond this advisory, consult a qualified security professional or your hosting provider’s incident response team. For operational environments, consider implementing virtual patching at the network or edge layer and validating changes in a staging environment before rolling them to production.