WordPress, Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) to Stored XSS, CVE-2025-28861 (Critical)

How the CVE Works:

CVE-2025-28861 is a critical vulnerability in the WP jQuery Persian Datepicker plugin for WordPress, affecting versions up to 0.1.0. The flaw arises from insufficient CSRF protection, allowing attackers to forge malicious requests. When exploited, this vulnerability enables Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. An attacker can inject malicious scripts into the plugin’s datepicker fields, which are then stored and executed when other users access the affected pages. This can lead to unauthorized actions, data theft, or complete site compromise.
The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it combines CSRF and XSS, allowing attackers to bypass typical security measures. The lack of proper input validation and output sanitization in the plugin exacerbates the issue. Attackers can exploit this by tricking authenticated users into submitting forged requests, which then store malicious scripts in the database. These scripts execute in the context of the victim’s session, potentially compromising sensitive information or administrative controls.

DailyCVE Form:

Platform: WordPress
Version: 0.1.0 and earlier
Vulnerability: CSRF to Stored XSS
Severity: Critical
Date: 03/11/2025

What Undercode Say:

Exploitation:

1. Crafting Malicious Payload:

Attackers create a forged request containing malicious JavaScript payloads targeting the WP jQuery Persian Datepicker plugin.

Example:


<form action="http://victim-site.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="action" value="update_datepicker_settings">
<input type="hidden" name="datepicker_field" value="<script>alert('XSS')</script>">
</form>

<script>document.forms[bash].submit();</script>

2. Delivering Payload:

The attacker tricks an authenticated admin into visiting a malicious page or clicking a link that auto-submits the forged request.

3. Stored XSS Execution:

The malicious script is stored in the database and executed when other users access the affected page, leading to session hijacking or data theft.

Protection:

1. Update Plugin:

Ensure the WP jQuery Persian Datepicker plugin is updated to a version beyond 0.1.0 if a patch is released.

2. Implement CSRF Tokens:

Add CSRF tokens to all forms and AJAX requests in the plugin.

Example:

<?php wp_nonce_field('update_datepicker_settings', 'csrf_token'); ?>

3. Input Validation and Sanitization:

Validate and sanitize all user inputs and outputs to prevent XSS.

Example:

$clean_input = sanitize_text_field($_POST[bash]);
echo esc_html($clean_input);

4. Content Security Policy (CSP):

Implement a strict CSP to mitigate XSS risks.

Example:

Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none';

5. Web Application Firewall (WAF):

Deploy a WAF to detect and block CSRF and XSS attempts.

Commands and Tools:

  • Exploit Testing:
    Use tools like Burp Suite or OWASP ZAP to test for CSRF and XSS vulnerabilities.
  • Patch Verification:

Verify patches using:

diff -r old_plugin_dir/ new_plugin_dir/

– Log Monitoring:

Monitor server logs for suspicious activity:

tail -f /var/log/apache2/access.log | grep "wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"

By following these steps, administrators can mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2025-28861 and secure their WordPress installations.

References:

Reported By: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-28861
Extra Source Hub:
Undercode

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