CVE-2025-4583 in Instagram Feed Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 05/29/2025
The Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the `data-plugin` attribute in all versions up to, and including, 6.9.0 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-4583 affects the Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting versions up to and including 6.9.0. This represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of WordPress installations relying on this social media integration plugin. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the plugin's handling of the `data-plugin` attribute, creating an attack vector that can be exploited by malicious actors with relatively low privilege levels.
The technical flaw manifests through insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input combined with inadequate output escaping practices. When authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher interact with the plugin's functionality, they can inject malicious JavaScript code through the `data-plugin` parameter. This stored XSS vulnerability occurs because the plugin fails to properly validate or escape the input before processing it, allowing attackers to persistently embed malicious scripts within the plugin's data handling mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically impacts the plugin's social photo feed functionality where user-generated content is processed and displayed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it creates persistent attack vectors that can compromise multiple users within the WordPress environment. Any user who accesses pages containing the injected malicious content becomes a potential victim of the stored XSS attack, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where contributors and editors frequently interact with the plugin's features. The attack can be used to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform other malicious activities that could lead to complete compromise of the affected WordPress installation.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation practices that violate fundamental security principles for web application development. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing via Social Media) and T1059.007 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript), as attackers can leverage the stored XSS to execute malicious JavaScript code and potentially establish persistent access to victim systems. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability through plugin updates to version 6.9.1 or later, which contains the necessary input sanitization and output escaping fixes. Additionally, implementing network-level protections and monitoring for suspicious user activities can help detect potential exploitation attempts while the update process is underway.