CVE-2025-23786
Published: 14 February 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-23786 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 26.4th 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-15 (Information Output Filtering) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
SI-15 directly addresses the improper neutralization of input during web page generation by requiring output filtering to prevent reflected XSS payloads from executing in the browser.
SI-10 mitigates reflected XSS by validating and sanitizing user inputs, such as malicious links, before processing in the WordPress plugin.
SI-2 ensures timely remediation of the specific flaw in the Email to Download plugin versions <=3.1.0 by identifying, prioritizing, and patching the XSS vulnerability.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Reflected XSS in public-facing WordPress plugin directly enables T1190 for exploitation; facilitates T1185 for session hijacking, T1056.001 for keylogging, and T1539 for stealing web session cookies via client-side script execution.
NVD Description
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in DuoGeek Email to Download email-to-download allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects Email to Download: from n/a through <= 3.1.0.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-23786 is an Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation vulnerability, classified as Reflected Cross-site Scripting (XSS) under CWE-79, in the DuoGeek Email to Download WordPress plugin. This issue affects all versions of the plugin from an unspecified initial release through 3.1.0. The vulnerability was published on 2025-02-14 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 and no required privileges, though it necessitates user interaction, such as a victim clicking a malicious link containing the XSS payload. Upon successful exploitation, attackers achieve low impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability within a changed security scope, potentially allowing theft of session cookies, keystroke logging, or other client-side attacks against the interacting user.
The Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/email-to-download/vulnerability/wordpress-email-to-download-plugin-3-1-0-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve provides further details on the vulnerability in the WordPress Email to Download plugin version 3.1.0.
Details
- CWE(s)