Overview
CVE-2025-11885 identifies a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability within the EchBay Admin Security plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.3.0. Due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping of the ‘_ebnonce’ parameter, an unauthenticated attacker can inject arbitrary web scripts. Successful exploitation relies on tricking a user into clicking a malicious link.
Technical Details
The vulnerability resides in how the EchBay Admin Security plugin handles the ‘_ebnonce’ parameter. The plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape user-supplied input passed through this parameter before rendering it in the browser. An attacker can craft a malicious URL containing JavaScript code within the ‘_ebnonce’ parameter. When a user clicks this specially crafted link, the injected script will execute in their browser within the context of the vulnerable WordPress site. Since this is a reflected XSS vulnerability, the malicious script is not stored on the server but is rather reflected back to the user’s browser.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) assigns CVE-2025-11885 a score of 6.1, classifying it as a MEDIUM severity vulnerability. The CVSS vector typically looks like: AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N. This indicates Network attack vector, Low attack complexity, No privileges required, User interaction required, Changed scope, Low confidentiality impact, Low integrity impact, and No availability impact. The requirement for user interaction (clicking a link) reduces the overall severity compared to a stored XSS vulnerability.
Possible Impact
A successful exploitation of this XSS vulnerability can have several negative consequences:
- Account Takeover: An attacker could potentially steal a user’s session cookie, allowing them to impersonate the user and gain unauthorized access to their account, including administrator accounts.
- Malware Distribution: The injected script could redirect users to malicious websites hosting malware.
- Defacement: Attackers could modify the content of the affected page, defacing the website.
- Phishing: The injected script could display a fake login form to steal user credentials.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
The primary mitigation step is to update the EchBay Admin Security plugin to a version that addresses this vulnerability. Check the WordPress plugin repository for available updates. If an update is not available, consider temporarily disabling the plugin until a patched version is released. General WordPress security best practices also help reduce the risk:
- Keep WordPress core, themes, and plugins up-to-date.
- Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication.
- Be cautious of clicking on links from untrusted sources.
