Overview
CVE-2025-12713 describes a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability found in the Soundslides plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability affects all versions of the plugin up to and including version 1.4.2. It allows authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious JavaScript code into pages or posts using the soundslides shortcode. When a user visits the page containing the injected script, the script will execute in their browser, potentially leading to account compromise or other malicious actions.
Technical Details
The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping when handling user-supplied attributes within the soundslides shortcode. Specifically, the plugin fails to properly sanitize attributes passed to the shortcode, such as the soundslide’s URL or other configuration options. This lack of sanitization allows an attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into these attributes. When the page is rendered, the injected script is executed in the context of the user’s browser.
The vulnerable code is located in soundslide.php within the plugin. Reviewing the code shows that the input validation and output escaping are inadequate. The following lines (as referenced below) highlight the lack of proper handling:
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score for CVE-2025-12713 is 6.4 (Medium).
This score reflects the following characteristics:
- Attack Vector (AV): Network (N)
- Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L)
- Privileges Required (PR): Low (L) – Requires Contributor-level access
- User Interaction (UI): Required (R) – Victim must visit the page.
- Scope (S): Changed (C)
- Confidentiality Impact (CI): Low (L)
- Integrity Impact (II): Low (L)
- Availability Impact (AI): Low (L)
Possible Impact
A successful exploit of this Stored XSS vulnerability could have several negative consequences:
- Account Compromise: An attacker could potentially steal a user’s session cookies and hijack their account.
- Malicious Redirection: Users could be redirected to malicious websites, potentially leading to phishing attacks or malware downloads.
- Defacement: An attacker could modify the content of the affected page or post.
- Data Theft: Sensitive information displayed on the page could be stolen.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
The primary mitigation step is to update the Soundslides plugin to the latest version if a patched version is available. Check the WordPress plugin repository or the plugin developer’s website for updates.
If an update is not yet available, consider temporarily disabling the Soundslides plugin until a patch is released.
As a general security best practice, always ensure that your WordPress core and all plugins are kept up to date with the latest security patches.
