CVE-2025-1457

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-1457 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the Element Pack Addons for Elementor WordPress plugin, developed by Bdthemes. The flaw exists in versions up to and including 5.10.28, specifically within the Wrapper Link, Countdown, and Gallery widgets. Due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping, authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher can inject arbitrary web scripts. These scripts execute whenever a victim user accesses the compromised page, leading to potential session hijacking, credential theft, or defacement.

This vulnerability is part of the WordPress ecosystem and does not affect the underlying web server (Apache/Nginx). The CVSS score of 6.4 (Medium) reflects the need for authenticated access but the potential for significant impact due to the stored nature of the payload. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or exploit code has been released, and the EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation likelihood at this time. However, the lack of a vendor patch increases risk for unpatched installations.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is specific to the WordPress plugin ecosystem. The plugin is distributed via the official WordPress Plugin Directory and third-party marketplaces. Users should verify the integrity of their plugin files and monitor for updates from Bdthemes. No known supply chain compromise has been reported, but the unpatched status warrants caution.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Base Score: 6.4 (Medium)
• Attack Vector (AV): Network – The vulnerability can be exploited remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): Low – Requires Contributor-level access or higher.
• User Interaction (UI): None – No victim interaction needed for injection.
• Scope (S): Changed – The vulnerable component impacts resources beyond its security scope.
• Confidentiality (C): Low – Limited data exposure possible.
• Integrity (I): Low – Limited ability to modify content.
• Availability (A): None – No direct impact on availability.

Threat Level: Medium. While exploitation requires authentication, the stored XSS can affect all site visitors, including administrators. The lack of a patch increases the urgency for mitigation.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in three widgets of the Element Pack Addons plugin:

1. Wrapper Link Widget: Allows users to wrap elements with a link. The href attribute is not properly sanitized, enabling injection of javascript: URIs or event handlers.
2. Countdown Widget: Accepts user input for timer labels or messages. Insufficient escaping allows script injection in the rendered output.
3. Gallery Widget: Handles image captions and descriptions. Unsanitized input can be stored and executed when the gallery is viewed.

Attack Flow:

1. An attacker with Contributor-level access logs into the WordPress admin panel.
2. Using the Elementor page builder, the attacker inserts one of the vulnerable widgets.
3. The attacker injects a malicious payload (e.g., <script>alert('XSS')</script>) into a widget field (e.g., link URL, caption, or label).
4. The payload is stored in the WordPress database without proper sanitization.
5. When any user (including administrators) visits the page, the script executes in their browser.

Root Cause: The plugin uses esc_attr() or esc_html() inconsistently, failing to escape context-specific outputs. For example, the Wrapper Link widget directly outputs the href attribute without validating the protocol, allowing javascript: URIs.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no official patch exists, the following is a hypothetical comparison based on secure coding practices.

Vulnerable Code (Wrapper Link Widget):

// Vulnerable: Direct output without sanitization
echo '<a href="' . $settings['wrapper_link']['url'] . '">' . $content . '</a>';

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

// Patched: Validate and escape the URL
$url = esc_url_raw( $settings['wrapper_link']['url'] );
echo '<a href="' . esc_attr( $url ) . '">' . wp_kses_post( $content ) . '</a>';

Vulnerable Code (Countdown Widget):

// Vulnerable: Unsanitized label output
echo '<span class="countdown-label">' . $settings['label'] . '</span>';

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

// Patched: Escape output
echo '<span class="countdown-label">' . esc_html( $settings['label'] ) . '</span>';

Vulnerable Code (Gallery Widget):

// Vulnerable: Caption output without escaping
echo '<figcaption>' . $item['caption'] . '</figcaption>';

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

// Patched: Use wp_kses_post for allowed HTML
echo '<figcaption>' . wp_kses_post( $item['caption'] ) . '</figcaption>';

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Prerequisites:

• WordPress instance with Element Pack Addons <= 5.10.28
• Contributor-level account or higher
• Elementor page builder enabled

Steps:

1. Log in as a Contributor.
2. Create a new page or edit an existing one with Elementor.
3. Add the Wrapper Link widget.
4. In the link URL field, enter: javascript:alert(document.cookie)
5. Publish the page.
6. When an administrator or visitor accesses the page, the JavaScript executes.

Alternative Payload (Countdown Widget):

• In the label field, enter: <img src=x onerror=alert('XSS')>

Alternative Payload (Gallery Widget):

• In the caption field, enter: <svg onload=alert(1)>

Note: No public exploit code exists; these are conceptual payloads.

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual widget content in Elementor pages.
• Look for javascript: URIs or event handlers in page content.
• Use Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block common XSS patterns.

Prevention:

• Disable the vulnerable widgets until a patch is available.
• Restrict Contributor-level access to trusted users only.
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate XSS impact.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File Hashes (Plugin Files):
  • element-pack-addons.php (version 5.10.28): SHA256 a1b2c3d4e5f6... (example)
  • widgets/wrapper-link.php: SHA256 b2c3d4e5f6a7... (example)
• Database Entries:
  • wp_postmeta containing _elementor_data with javascript: URIs or <script> tags.
• Network Traffic:
  • Outbound requests to attacker-controlled domains from compromised pages.
• Logs:
  • WordPress debug logs showing esc_attr or esc_html failures.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_1457_Element_Pack_XSS {
    meta:
        description = "Detects malicious payloads in Element Pack Addons widgets"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-1457"
    strings:
        $xss1 = /javascript\s*:/ nocase
        $xss2 = /<script[^>]*>/i
        $xss3 = /onerror\s*=/i
        $xss4 = /onload\s*=/i
        $xss5 = /<svg[^>]*onload/i
    condition:
        any of ($xss*) and filesize < 10KB
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-1457 Stored XSS in Element Pack Addons
id: 8f9a0b1c-2d3e-4f5a-6b7c-8d9e0f1a2b3c
status: experimental
description: Detects stored XSS payloads in WordPress Elementor pages
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: wordpress
detection:
    selection:
        http.url|contains:
            - 'javascript:'
            - '<script'
            - 'onerror='
            - 'onload='
            - '<svg'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of JavaScript in links (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-1457 Stored XSS in Element Pack Addons"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=elementor_ajax"; http_client_body; pcre:"/(javascript\s*:|<script|onerror=|onload=|<svg)/i"; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable Vulnerable Widgets: Temporarily deactivate the Wrapper Link, Countdown, and Gallery widgets via the plugin settings or by removing their PHP files.
2. Restrict User Roles: Limit Contributor-level access to only trusted users. Consider using a plugin like "User Role Editor" to remove the ability to use Elementor for low-privilege users.
3. Apply Virtual Patching: Use a WAF (e.g., Cloudflare, ModSecurity) to block requests containing javascript: URIs or common XSS patterns in Elementor data.

Long-Term Fix:

• Monitor the Bdthemes website for an official patch. If none is released, consider forking the plugin and applying the fixes described in the "Vulnerable vs. Patched Code" section.
• Replace the plugin with an alternative if no patch is forthcoming.

Verification:

• After applying mitigations, test by attempting to inject XSS payloads as a Contributor.
• Review WordPress debug logs for any remaining injection attempts.

Valters IT