CVE-2025-28865
Published: 26 March 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-28865 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 28.6% 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
Directly mitigates reflected XSS by requiring filtering of user inputs prior to inclusion in dynamically generated web pages.
Prevents injection of malicious scripts by validating and sanitizing untrusted inputs at system entry points in the WordPress plugin.
Addresses the specific flaw in WP Colorful Tag Cloud plugin versions <=2.0.1 by requiring timely identification, reporting, and patching of the XSS vulnerability.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Reflected XSS in public-facing WordPress plugin enables exploitation of the web application (T1190) via malicious crafted URLs requiring user interaction (T1204.001), directly facilitating browser script execution to steal session cookies (T1185).
NVD Description
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in lionelroux WP Colorful Tag Cloud wp-colorful-tag-cloud allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects WP Colorful Tag Cloud: from n/a through <= 2.0.1.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-28865 is an Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation vulnerability, enabling Reflected Cross-site Scripting (XSS) as classified under CWE-79. It affects the WP Colorful Tag Cloud WordPress plugin by lionelroux, with all versions up to and including 2.0.1 vulnerable.
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 require no privileges and can exploit it over the network with low attack complexity, but it demands user interaction, such as visiting a maliciously crafted URL. Exploitation allows limited impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability within a changed scope, typically permitting script execution in the victim's browser to steal session cookies or perform other client-side actions.
The Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/wp-colorful-tag-cloud/vulnerability/wordpress-wp-colorful-tag-cloud-plugin-2-0-1-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve provides details on the vulnerability, including mitigation recommendations for affected WordPress installations.
Details
- CWE(s)