CVE-2025-23867
Published: 22 January 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-23867 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 42.7th 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
Information Output Filtering directly addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation by encoding or filtering outputs to prevent reflected XSS script injection.
Information Input Validation ensures malicious inputs like XSS payloads are rejected before reflection in the WordPress plugin's search functionality.
Flaw Remediation requires timely patching of the specific XSS vulnerability in the wpfilesearch plugin up to version 1.2.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Reflected XSS in public-facing WordPress plugin directly enables T1190 (exploit public-facing app via crafted URL), requires user interaction with malicious link for T1204.001, and facilitates T1185 (browser session hijacking via script execution in victim context).
NVD Description
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in markcoker WordPress File Search wpfilesearch allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects WordPress File Search: from n/a through <= 1.2.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-23867 is an Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation vulnerability, classified as Reflected Cross-site Scripting (XSS) under CWE-79, in the markcoker WordPress File Search plugin (wpfilesearch). This issue affects the plugin from unknown initial versions through version 1.2 inclusive. The vulnerability was published on 2025-01-22 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 privileges required, though it necessitates user interaction such as clicking a malicious link. Upon successful exploitation, adversaries achieve limited impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with a changed scope that allows script execution in the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking or data theft within the site's origin.
The Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/wpfilesearch/vulnerability/wordpress-wordpress-file-search-plugin-1-2-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve details the Reflected XSS vulnerability in WordPress File Search plugin version 1.2, providing information on the issue for mitigation purposes.
Details
- CWE(s)