CVE-2025-2800 in WP Event Manager Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/16/2025
The WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the ‘organizer_name' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.50 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2025
The WP Event Manager plugin represents a widely used WordPress solution for event management, ticketing, and calendar functionality that integrates with WooCommerce for commercial transactions. This particular vulnerability affects versions up to and including 3.1.50, making it a significant concern for thousands of WordPress sites that rely on this plugin for their event management operations. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the plugin's codebase, specifically in how it handles the 'organizer_name' parameter that is used to store and display organizer information within event listings and related pages.
The technical flaw manifests as a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into the plugin's database through the organizer_name field. This occurs because the plugin fails to properly sanitize user input before storing it in the database and subsequently fails to adequately escape output when displaying this data on web pages. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental weakness in web application security. When authenticated users or administrators view pages containing the maliciously injected script, the code executes in their browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise of the affected systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers. Once the malicious script is stored in the database, it will execute every time any user accesses the affected pages, making it particularly dangerous for high-traffic event management sites. This vulnerability can be leveraged to perform various malicious activities including but not limited to cookie theft, redirecting users to malicious sites, defacing event pages, or even establishing persistent backdoors within the WordPress installation. The attack surface is broad as it affects all pages where organizer information is displayed, including event detail pages, calendar views, and administrative interfaces.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 - Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment, where attackers can craft malicious event listings or organizer profiles to deliver payloads to unsuspecting users. The exploitation process requires minimal privileges and can be automated, making it attractive to threat actors. Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to the latest plugin version where the vulnerability has been patched, implementing proper input validation at multiple layers, and conducting thorough security reviews of all user-contributed content. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in event data submissions, and regular security audits should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other plugins and themes that may be present in the WordPress ecosystem.
The broader implications for WordPress security highlight the critical importance of proper input sanitization and output escaping practices in web applications. This vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly minor input fields can become significant attack vectors when proper security controls are not implemented. Organizations should establish comprehensive security policies that mandate regular plugin updates, security scanning, and input validation testing as part of their overall security posture. The incident also underscores the necessity of following security best practices such as the principle of least privilege, regular security assessments, and maintaining up-to-date security tooling to detect and prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.