CVE-2025-27331 in WooCommerce Display Products by Tags Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/24/2025
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Sébastien Dumont WooCommerce Display Products by Tags allows DOM-Based XSS. This issue affects WooCommerce Display Products by Tags: from n/a through 1.0.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness in the WooCommerce Display Products by Tags plugin, specifically manifesting as a DOM-based XSS flaw that undermines web application security. The issue occurs during the generation of web pages when user input is improperly handled, creating an avenue for malicious script execution within the victim's browser context. The vulnerability affects all versions of the plugin up to and including version 1.0.0, indicating a persistent flaw that has not been addressed in the plugin's release history. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation, making it a fundamental web security concern that can lead to severe consequences including session hijacking, data theft, and unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users.
The technical implementation of this DOM-based XSS vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize or escape user-provided input before incorporating it into dynamic web page content. When users interact with the plugin's functionality, particularly when viewing products filtered by tags, malicious input can be injected into the DOM structure and subsequently executed without proper validation or encoding. This allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that can manipulate the page's behavior, steal cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform other harmful actions. The DOM-based nature of this vulnerability means that the attack vector operates within the browser's document object model rather than through server-side processing, making it particularly challenging to detect and prevent using traditional server-side input validation techniques.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, creating significant risks for both end users and system administrators. Attackers can exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to full account compromise, data exfiltration, and unauthorized modifications to the WooCommerce store. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of product display and tagging within the WooCommerce ecosystem, making it particularly dangerous for e-commerce environments where user trust and data security are paramount. Given that this affects a widely used plugin within the WordPress ecosystem, the potential attack surface is extensive, with numerous websites potentially exposed to this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate remediation through plugin updates to versions that address the XSS flaw, as well as implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and employ additional security measures such as Web Application Firewalls to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input sanitization and output encoding practices, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1203 which covers exploitation of web application vulnerabilities. Security teams should conduct thorough penetration testing to identify similar flaws in other plugins and themes, as this represents a common weakness in WordPress ecosystems that requires ongoing vigilance and proactive security measures to prevent successful exploitation attempts.