CVE-2025-23729
Published: 23 January 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-23729 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 38.9th 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 requires filtering of information outputs to prevent reflected XSS by ensuring user-supplied inputs are properly encoded before inclusion in dynamically generated web pages.
SI-10 enforces validation of information inputs, directly addressing improper neutralization of inputs that enables XSS payloads in the WordPress plugin.
SI-2 mandates timely identification, reporting, and correction of flaws, enabling patching of the vulnerable xtra-settings plugin versions up to 2.1.8.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Reflected XSS in public-facing WordPress plugin enables exploitation of public-facing applications via crafted malicious links requiring user interaction for JS execution.
NVD Description
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in fures XTRA Settings xtra-settings allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects XTRA Settings: from n/a through <= 2.1.8.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-23729 is an Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation vulnerability, classified as Reflected Cross-site Scripting (XSS) under CWE-79, in the fures XTRA Settings (xtra-settings) WordPress plugin. This issue affects all versions of the plugin from n/a through 2.1.8 inclusive. The vulnerability was published on 2025-01-23 and 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).
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network with low attack complexity, requiring no privileges or authentication but relying on user interaction, such as clicking a malicious link. Exploitation changes the security scope and enables limited impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, typically allowing arbitrary JavaScript execution in the victim's browser context within the affected WordPress site.
The Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/xtra-settings/vulnerability/wordpress-xtra-settings-plugin-2-1-8-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve documents the Reflected XSS vulnerability in XTRA Settings plugin version 2.1.8 and provides guidance on mitigation for affected WordPress installations.
Details
- CWE(s)