CVE-2025-25165
Published: 03 March 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-25165 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 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
Filters information outputs during web page generation to neutralize stored XSS payloads and prevent JavaScript execution in victims' browsers.
Validates user inputs at entry points to block malicious scripts from being stored in the WordPress plugin database.
Remediates the specific stored XSS flaw by identifying, reporting, and patching the vulnerable Staff Directory Plugin versions up to 4.3.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Stored XSS in public-facing WordPress plugin allows unauthenticated network injection of arbitrary JavaScript executed in victims' browsers on page view, directly enabling T1190 (exploiting public-facing app), T1059.007 (JavaScript execution), and T1189 (drive-by compromise via compromised site).
NVD Description
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in richardgabriel Staff Directory Plugin: Company Directory staff-directory-pro allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Staff Directory Plugin: Company Directory: from n/a through <= 4.3.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-25165 is an Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation vulnerability, classified as Stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) under CWE-79, in the Staff Directory Plugin: Company Directory (staff-directory-pro) for WordPress, developed by richardgabriel. This issue affects all versions from n/a through 4.3 and was published on 2025-03-03.
The vulnerability enables exploitation over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L) by unauthenticated attackers (PR:N), though it requires user interaction (UI:R) such as viewing affected pages. Malicious input can be stored and rendered without neutralization, executing arbitrary JavaScript in victims' browsers. This changes scope (S:C) and allows low-impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability effects (C:L/I:L/A:L), yielding a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1.
Mitigation details are available in the Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/staff-directory-pro/vulnerability/wordpress-staff-directory-plugin-company-directory-plugin-4-3-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve.
Details
- CWE(s)