CVE-2025-6259 in esri-map-view Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/06/2025
The esri-map-view plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's esri-map-view shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.3 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/06/2025
The esri-map-view plugin for WordPress represents a significant security vulnerability classified as CVE-2025-6259, which affects all versions up to and including 1.2.3. This vulnerability manifests as a stored cross-site scripting flaw within the plugin's shortcode functionality, specifically the esri-map-view shortcode that allows users to embed interactive maps into WordPress content. The flaw occurs due to inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms that fail to properly validate or escape user-supplied attributes passed to the shortcode. This weakness creates a persistent security risk where malicious actors can inject malicious scripts that remain stored within the WordPress database and execute whenever affected pages are accessed by any user, regardless of their privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user input before storing and rendering it within the web pages. When administrators or contributors with appropriate privileges use the esri-map-view shortcode with malicious attributes, the plugin does not adequately filter or escape these inputs, allowing potentially dangerous JavaScript code to be permanently stored in the WordPress content database. This stored malicious code then executes in the context of any user's browser who visits pages containing the compromised shortcode, creating a persistent vector for attacks. The vulnerability specifically targets the shortcode attribute handling mechanism, which is a common attack surface in WordPress plugins where user input is processed and rendered without proper security validation.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-6259 extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables authenticated attackers with contributor-level access and above to potentially compromise entire WordPress installations. Since the vulnerability allows for stored XSS, the malicious scripts can persist indefinitely and execute against any user who accesses affected pages, including administrators and editors. This creates opportunities for session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and potential privilege escalation within the WordPress environment. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors, redirect users to malicious sites, or harvest sensitive information from authenticated sessions, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on WordPress for content management. The attack vector requires minimal privileges, as contributors can exploit this flaw, which means that even users with relatively limited access can cause significant damage to the WordPress installation and its associated data.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on immediate plugin updates to versions that properly sanitize and escape all user input attributes. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output escaping mechanisms that conform to established security standards such as those outlined in CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. The remediation process must include thorough code review of the plugin's shortcode implementation to ensure that all user-supplied attributes are properly sanitized before storage and that appropriate output escaping is applied when rendering content. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and privilege management can help limit the damage potential, while monitoring for suspicious shortcode usage patterns can provide early detection of exploitation attempts. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and content security policies can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to mitigate the impact of any successful exploitation attempts.