CVE-2025-32196 in News Kit Elementor Addons Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 04/04/2025
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in blazethemes News Kit Elementor Addons allows Stored XSS. This issue affects News Kit Elementor Addons: from n/a through 1.3.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/04/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-32196 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the blazethemes News Kit Elementor Addons plugin, specifically targeting versions ranging from an unspecified initial state through 1.3.1. This weakness falls under the category of improper input neutralization during web page generation, creating a persistent security risk that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability is classified as a stored XSS attack, meaning that malicious code is permanently stored on the server and executed whenever users access affected pages, making it particularly dangerous for content management systems where user-generated content is common.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user inputs within the plugin's web page generation process. When users submit content through forms or input fields within the News Kit Elementor Addons interface, the plugin fails to properly validate and sanitize this data before storing it in the database. This oversight allows malicious actors to embed script tags or other malicious code within input fields that are later rendered on web pages without proper escaping or encoding. The flaw operates at the application layer where user-supplied data flows through the system's input validation mechanisms and gets processed into HTML output, creating a direct pathway for script execution in the context of the victim's browser session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or defacement, as it provides attackers with the ability to execute arbitrary code within users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, it will persist and affect all users who view the affected pages until the malicious content is removed from the database. This persistent threat makes the vulnerability particularly attractive to attackers targeting WordPress sites that utilize the News Kit Elementor Addons plugin, as they can establish long-term footholds within compromised environments. The vulnerability affects the entire user base of affected sites, including administrators and regular visitors, making it a significant concern for website owners and security practitioners.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-32196 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the XSS vulnerability, as developers typically release patches that implement proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including content security policy headers, regular security scanning of web applications, and monitoring for suspicious user inputs or unauthorized code injections. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should be addressed through proper input validation and output encoding. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving code injection and credential access, with potential for lateral movement within compromised environments. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and regular penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities that may exist within their broader web application infrastructure, particularly in areas where user inputs are processed and rendered without proper sanitization.