CVE-2025-53331 in RSS Digest Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/27/2025
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in samcharrington RSS Digest allows Stored XSS. This issue affects RSS Digest: from n/a through 1.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/27/2025
The CVE-2025-53331 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the samcharrington RSS Digest plugin that demonstrates the dangerous intersection of cross-site request forgery and stored cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. This vulnerability exists within the RSS Digest plugin version range from n/a through 1.5, creating a significant attack surface that could be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary code within the context of affected users' browsers. The flaw stems from insufficient validation and sanitization of user-supplied input within the plugin's processing mechanisms, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist in the system and execute whenever affected users interact with the compromised functionality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability follows a classic CSRF pattern where an attacker can manipulate the plugin's processing flow to accept malicious input that would normally be rejected or properly escaped. When users submit content through the RSS Digest functionality, the system fails to adequately validate the input, creating an opportunity for stored XSS attacks. This occurs because the plugin does not implement proper input sanitization or output encoding mechanisms, allowing malicious script payloads to be stored within the system's database or storage mechanisms. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it combines two distinct attack vectors, where the initial CSRF vector allows the attacker to inject malicious content, which then persists and executes as stored XSS when other users interact with the compromised content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can potentially enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the affected system. The stored nature of the XSS payload means that even users who are not actively interacting with the malicious content can be compromised when they view pages that contain the injected scripts. This vulnerability affects WordPress environments where the RSS Digest plugin is installed, potentially compromising thousands of websites if the plugin is widely used. The attack requires minimal user interaction beyond viewing the compromised content, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently access RSS feeds or aggregated content.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-53331 should focus on immediate remediation through plugin updates to versions that address the CSRF and XSS vulnerabilities, combined with proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution capabilities and disable unnecessary plugin functionality until proper security measures are in place. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352 for CSRF and CWE-79 for XSS, representing a multi-faceted attack vector that requires comprehensive defensive measures. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through web application firewalls and implement proper access controls to limit the potential impact of successful attacks. This vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 for social engineering and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter, highlighting the need for layered defensive approaches that address both the technical flaw and potential exploitation patterns.