CVE-2025-23475
Published: 22 January 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-23475 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 Malicious Link (T1204.001); ranked in the top 42.8% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; 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-10 requires validation of information inputs, directly addressing the improper neutralization of input that enables reflected XSS in the history-timeline plugin.
SI-15 mandates filtering of information output to block malicious scripts, preventing execution of injected XSS payloads in victim browsers.
SI-2 ensures timely identification, reporting, and correction of flaws like this reflected XSS vulnerability in the WordPress plugin versions up to 0.7.2.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Reflected XSS enables crafting malicious URLs for script execution in victim's browser upon visit (facilitating T1204.001 Malicious Link) and stealing web session cookies (T1539).
NVD Description
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in fireantology History timeline history-timeline allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects History timeline: from n/a through <= 0.7.2.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-23475 is an Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation vulnerability, classified as Reflected Cross-site Scripting (XSS) under CWE-79, in the fireantology History Timeline WordPress plugin, known as history-timeline. This issue affects all versions from n/a through 0.7.2, as published on 2025-01-22.
The vulnerability carries 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). Remote attackers with no required privileges can exploit it over the network with low attack complexity, though it requires user interaction, such as a victim visiting a crafted URL. Exploitation enables limited impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability across a changed scope, typically allowing script execution in the victim's browser to steal session cookies or perform other client-side actions.
Patchstack's advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/history-timeline/vulnerability/wordpress-history-timeline-plugin-0-7-2-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve documents the Reflected XSS vulnerability in the WordPress History Timeline plugin version 0.7.2. Practitioners should review this reference for recommended mitigations, such as applying available patches or implementing input sanitization.
Details
- CWE(s)