CVE-2025-14904 anilankola CVE debrief

Who should care

WordPress administrators and security teams responsible for managing plugins and ensuring site security should assess exposure and prioritize remediation for installations using the Newsletter Email Subscribe plugin version 2.4 or earlier.

Why it matters

CVE-2025-14904 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability in the Newsletter Email Subscribe plugin for WordPress. It allows unauthenticated attackers to update plugin settings if they can trick a site administrator into performing an action. WordPress administrators and security teams should assess exposure and prioritize remediation for affected installations.

• Unauthenticated attackers may be able to update plugin settings via forged requests
• Site administrators may be tricked into performing actions that compromise plugin settings
• Remediation priority is high for WordPress installations using affected plugin versions
• Verification of plugin version and exposure is necessary for affected deployments

Technical summary

The Newsletter Email Subscribe plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery due to incorrect nonce validation on the nels_settings_page function. This allows unauthenticated attackers to update plugin settings via a forged request if they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link. The vulnerability affects versions up to and including 2.4 of the plugin. WordPress administrators and security teams should assess exposure and prioritize remediation for installations using the Newsletter Email Subscribe plugin version 2.4 or earlier.

Defensive priority

Assess exposure and prioritize remediation for WordPress installations using the Newsletter Email Subscribe plugin version 2.4 or earlier.

Recommended defensive actions

• Assess exposure by checking WordPress installations for the Newsletter Email Subscribe plugin version 2.4 or earlier
• Prioritize remediation for affected installations
• Verify plugin version and update to a patched version if available
• Monitor for suspicious activity related to plugin settings updates
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD entry provide details on the vulnerability, including its description and CVSS score. However, additional information on affected versions and remediation is limited. The plugin's code review indicates that nonce validation is incorrectly implemented on the nels_settings_page function, allowing unauthenticated attackers to update plugin settings via forged requests if they can trick site administrators into performing actions like clicking links. Defenders should verify plugin versions, assess exposure, and rem

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.