CVE-2025-7501 in Wonder Slider Lite Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/26/2025
The Wonder Slider Lite plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via image title and description DOM in all versions up to, and including, 14.4 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-7501 affects the Wonder Slider Lite plugin for WordPress, specifically targeting versions up to and including 14.4. This represents a critical security flaw that exploits stored cross-site scripting vulnerabilities within the plugin's handling of image title and description fields. The weakness lies in the plugin's failure to properly sanitize user inputs and escape output data, creating an avenue for malicious code injection that can persist across user sessions. Attackers with Contributor-level access or higher can leverage this vulnerability to compromise the integrity of WordPress installations and potentially escalate their privileges within the affected systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the plugin's image management functionality. When administrators or contributors upload images through the Wonder Slider Lite interface, the plugin accepts title and description fields without adequate sanitization processes. This lack of proper input filtering allows malicious payloads to be stored within the plugin's database, where they remain dormant until accessed by other users. The vulnerability specifically targets the DOM manipulation aspects of the plugin's rendering process, where unescaped user input is directly incorporated into web page content, creating a persistent XSS attack vector that can execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of the victim's browser.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-7501 extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides authenticated attackers with the capability to perform various malicious activities within the compromised WordPress environment. Once an attacker successfully injects malicious scripts through the vulnerable image fields, these payloads can execute whenever any user accesses pages containing the injected content, potentially leading to session hijacking, data exfiltration, or further privilege escalation. The vulnerability's persistence across user sessions makes it particularly dangerous, as it can affect multiple users over time without requiring repeated exploitation attempts. This stored XSS vulnerability creates a persistent threat that can be leveraged for ongoing attacks against the WordPress installation and its associated user base.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies focusing on input validation and output escaping improvements. The primary remediation involves updating to the latest version of Wonder Slider Lite where the XSS vulnerabilities have been addressed through proper sanitization of user inputs and implementation of appropriate output escaping mechanisms. Security measures should also include restricting contributor-level access where possible and implementing additional monitoring of image upload activities within WordPress installations. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 related to spearphishing attachments that can lead to credential theft or system compromise. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional defense-in-depth measures against similar scripting vulnerabilities.