CVE-2025-22514
Published: 13 January 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-22514 is a high-severity Cross-site Scripting (CWE-79) vulnerability. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 25.0th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-15 (Information Output Filtering).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
SI-15 directly mitigates reflected XSS by requiring filtering of information outputs to neutralize malicious scripts before web page generation in the WordPress plugin.
SI-10 prevents the injection of malicious payloads via URL parameters by validating all inputs to the KNR Author List Widget plugin.
SI-2 ensures timely remediation of the specific XSS flaw in KNR Author List Widget versions through <=3.1.1 by identifying, patching, and verifying fixes.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Reflected XSS in public-facing WordPress plugin directly enables exploitation of web application (T1190) via crafted malicious/phishing links requiring user interaction (T1566.002, T1204.001).
NVD Description
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Yamna Khawaja KNR Author List Widget knr-author-list-widget allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects KNR Author List Widget: from n/a through <= 3.1.1.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-22514 is an Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation vulnerability, classified as Reflected Cross-site Scripting (XSS) under CWE-79, in the KNR Author List Widget (knr-author-list-widget) WordPress plugin developed by Yamna Khawaja. This issue affects the plugin from unknown initial versions through version 3.1.1 inclusive. The vulnerability was published on 2025-01-13 with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L).
A remote attacker without privileges can exploit this reflected XSS by crafting a malicious URL that, when visited by a targeted user on a vulnerable site, injects and executes arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser context. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as clicking a phishing link, and leverages the changed scope (S:C) to potentially access sensitive data or perform actions within the site's context, resulting in low impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Mitigation details are available in the Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/knr-author-list-widget/vulnerability/wordpress-axact-author-list-widget-plugin-3-1-1-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve.
Details
- CWE(s)