CVE-2025-47626

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-47626 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Apasionados Submission DOM Tracking for Contact Form 7 WordPress plugin (slug: cf7-submission-dom-tracking), affecting versions through 2.1. The plugin fails to properly neutralize user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript that is stored and executed in the context of any administrator or user viewing the submission tracking dashboard.

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (Medium). The attack vector is Network, complexity is Low, and it requires User Interaction (a victim must visit the affected page). The impact is partial compromise of Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability due to the ability to steal session cookies, deface pages, or redirect users.

As a WordPress plugin vulnerability, this issue resides entirely within the WordPress ecosystem. No web server (Apache/Nginx) configuration changes can mitigate the root cause; only patching the plugin or applying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule can protect against exploitation.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This plugin is distributed via the official WordPress Plugin Directory. Since no patch is available, users are advised to:

• Immediately disable the plugin if not critical.
• Monitor the plugin’s repository for updates.
• Consider replacing it with an alternative that provides similar functionality without the XSS risk.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

Threat Level: Medium. Exploitation requires a victim to visit the compromised page, but the stored XSS can persist indefinitely, affecting all subsequent visitors.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The plugin cf7-submission-dom-tracking tracks Contact Form 7 submissions by storing DOM-related data (e.g., form field values, timestamps) into the WordPress database. The vulnerability arises because the plugin outputs this stored data without proper sanitization or escaping when rendering the submission tracking interface in the WordPress admin panel.

Attack Flow:

1. An attacker submits a Contact Form 7 form with a malicious payload in a tracked field (e.g., name or message).
2. The plugin stores the payload in the wp_postmeta or custom table.
3. When an administrator views the submission tracking page, the plugin retrieves and displays the payload without escaping.
4. The injected JavaScript executes in the administrator’s browser, allowing the attacker to steal cookies, perform actions on behalf of the admin, or deface the admin panel.

Root Cause: The plugin uses echo $value; or similar unsanitized output functions instead of esc_html() or wp_kses_post().

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, the following is a hypothetical fix based on standard WordPress coding practices.

Vulnerable Code (version 2.1):

// In admin display function
echo '<td>' . $submission_data['field_value'] . '</td>';

Patched Code (hypothetical):

// Properly escape output
echo '<td>' . esc_html( $submission_data['field_value'] ) . '</td>';

The patched version uses esc_html() to convert special characters to HTML entities, preventing script execution.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Proof of Concept)

Since no public exploit exists, the following is a conceptual PoC. An attacker would submit a Contact Form 7 form with a payload like:

<script>alert('XSS')</script>

If the plugin stores and displays this without escaping, the alert will fire when an admin views the submissions.

Step-by-step:

1. Install WordPress with Contact Form 7 and the vulnerable plugin.
2. Create a form with a text field.
3. Submit the form with the payload above.
4. Navigate to the plugin’s admin page (e.g., /wp-admin/admin.php?page=cf7-submission-dom-tracking).
5. Observe the JavaScript execution.

Blue Team (Detection & Hardening)

Immediate Actions:

• Disable the plugin until a patch is released.
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block common XSS patterns in form submissions.
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution.

WAF Rule (ModSecurity):

SecRule ARGS "@rx <script>" "id:1000001,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'XSS Attempt Blocked'"

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File: /wp-content/plugins/cf7-submission-dom-tracking/cf7-submission-dom-tracking.php
• Database entries: Suspicious <script> tags in wp_postmeta where meta_key contains cf7_submission_dom_tracking.
• Admin page URL: /wp-admin/admin.php?page=cf7-submission-dom-tracking with unexpected JavaScript execution.
• Network traffic: Outbound connections from admin browser to attacker-controlled domains (cookie exfiltration).

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_47626_Stored_XSS {
    meta:
        description = "Detects stored XSS payloads in WordPress cf7-submission-dom-tracking plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-47626"
    strings:
        $xss_payload = /<script[^>]*>.*?<\/script>/is
        $plugin_path = "cf7-submission-dom-tracking"
    condition:
        $plugin_path and $xss_payload
}

Sigma Rule

title: Stored XSS in cf7-submission-dom-tracking Plugin
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects stored XSS payloads in the WordPress plugin cf7-submission-dom-tracking
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        c-uri|contains: "/wp-admin/admin.php?page=cf7-submission-dom-tracking"
        cs-method: GET
        sc-status: 200
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of script tags in form submissions (unlikely)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-47626 Stored XSS Payload in Form Submission"; flow:to_server,established; content:"<script"; http_client_body; nocase; sid:1000002; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate: Disable the plugin cf7-submission-dom-tracking if not essential.
2. Short-term: Apply a virtual patch using a WAF to block <script> tags in form submissions.
3. Long-term: Replace the plugin with an alternative that properly escapes output (e.g., esc_html()).
4. Monitor: Check WordPress plugin repository for updates; apply patch as soon as available.
5. Audit: Review all WordPress plugins for similar XSS vulnerabilities using static analysis tools.

Valters IT
Securing WordPress ecosystems, one plugin at a time.