CVE-2025-31815 in Design Blocks Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/01/2025
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in devscred Design Blocks allows Stored XSS. This issue affects Design Blocks: from n/a through 1.2.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-31815 represents a critical cross-site scripting weakness within the devscred Design Blocks plugin, specifically targeting the web page generation process where input validation fails to properly sanitize user-provided data. This flaw enables attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist in the application's database and execute whenever affected pages are rendered to unsuspecting users. The vulnerability exists across all versions of the Design Blocks plugin from the initial release through version 1.2.2, indicating a long-standing issue that has not been adequately addressed in the codebase.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which describes improper neutralization of input during web page generation, commonly known as cross-site scripting. The flaw occurs when user input is directly incorporated into HTML output without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms, creating an environment where malicious scripts can be stored and subsequently executed. In the context of Design Blocks, this typically manifests when users can submit content through form fields, comment sections, or other input mechanisms that are then rendered on web pages without appropriate security measures to prevent script injection.
The operational impact of this stored XSS vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of any user's browser who views the compromised content. This could enable session hijacking, credential theft, redirection to malicious sites, or even privilege escalation within the affected application. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once malicious input is injected and saved, it continues to affect users indefinitely until the malicious content is removed from the database, making it particularly dangerous for content management systems where user-generated content is prevalent. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to user accounts, steal sensitive information, or manipulate the application's functionality.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in relation to the ATT&CK framework's technique T1531, which covers "Modify Existing Service", as the stored XSS could potentially allow attackers to modify content or functionality of the web application. Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms, where all user-provided data is properly escaped before being rendered in HTML contexts. The recommended approach involves enforcing strict content security policies, implementing proper HTML escaping for all dynamic content, and conducting thorough input validation that removes or encodes potentially dangerous characters. Additionally, the affected plugin version should be updated to a patched release that addresses the specific input handling flaws, and administrators should consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the web application stack.