CVE-2025-23747 in Awesome Timeline Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/03/2025
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Nitesh Singh Awesome Timeline allows Stored XSS. This issue affects Awesome Timeline: from n/a through 1.0.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw classified as CWE-79 in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, which allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The issue specifically affects the Awesome Timeline plugin developed by Nitesh Singh, where input validation and output sanitization mechanisms fail to properly neutralize user-supplied data during web page generation processes. The vulnerability enables stored XSS attacks, meaning that malicious scripts can be permanently stored on the server and subsequently executed whenever affected pages are accessed by unsuspecting users. This particular weakness exists within the plugin's handling of timeline-related input fields, where user-provided content containing script tags or other malicious payloads is not adequately sanitized before being rendered in the browser context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive cookies, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of victims, and potentially escalate privileges within the affected application environment. The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability means that the malicious payload persists even after the initial injection, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users over extended periods without requiring repeated exploitation attempts. Attackers can leverage this weakness to create persistent backdoors, redirect users to malicious sites, or extract confidential information from authenticated sessions. The vulnerability's presence in versions through 1.0.1 indicates that the plugin developers have not yet addressed the input sanitization flaws that allow malicious data to be stored and subsequently executed in the browser context of other users.
From a defensive perspective, organizations utilizing this plugin must implement immediate mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and proper content sanitization measures to prevent malicious scripts from being stored or executed. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1059.001 technique for command and scripting interpreter, specifically targeting the execution of malicious scripts through web-based interfaces. Security measures should include implementing Content Security Policy headers, employing proper input validation libraries, and conducting regular security audits of user input handling mechanisms. The vulnerability underscores the importance of following secure coding practices and demonstrates how seemingly benign input fields can become attack vectors when proper sanitization controls are not implemented. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and prevent XSS attack patterns, while developers should ensure that all user-supplied content undergoes rigorous sanitization before being stored in database systems or rendered in web interfaces.