Overview
CVE-2025-12417 identifies a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability present in the SurveyFunnel – Survey Plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.1.5. This flaw allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious JavaScript code into website pages via the plugin’s ‘surveyfunnel_lite_survey’ shortcode. This code will then execute whenever a user visits the compromised page, potentially leading to account compromise, data theft, or other malicious activities.
Technical Details
The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping of user-supplied attributes within the ‘surveyfunnel_lite_survey’ shortcode. The plugin fails to properly validate and sanitize the attributes passed to the shortcode before rendering them on the page. This allows an attacker to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code, which will then be stored in the WordPress database and executed whenever a user visits the affected page. The file `public/class-surveyfunnel-lite-public.php`, specifically around line 240 in version 1.1.5, is believed to be the location where this vulnerability resides due to a lack of proper escaping.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) assigns CVE-2025-12417 a score of 6.4, indicating a MEDIUM severity. This score reflects the fact that the vulnerability requires authentication (contributor-level access) but allows for arbitrary code execution, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
- CVSS Score: 6.4
- Severity: MEDIUM
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could have significant consequences, including:
- Account Takeover: An attacker could steal administrator cookies or credentials, gaining complete control over the WordPress site.
- Data Theft: Sensitive data could be exfiltrated from the website or its users.
- Malware Distribution: The injected script could redirect users to malicious websites or download malware onto their devices.
- Defacement: The attacker could modify the appearance of the website, causing reputational damage.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
The most effective way to mitigate this vulnerability is to update the SurveyFunnel – Survey Plugin for WordPress to a version that addresses the issue. If an update is not yet available, consider the following temporary mitigation steps:
- Disable the Plugin: Temporarily disable the SurveyFunnel plugin until a patched version is released.
- Restrict User Roles: Limit the number of users with contributor-level access or higher to only those who absolutely need it.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Implement a WAF with rules to detect and block XSS attacks targeting the ‘surveyfunnel_lite_survey’ shortcode.
- Input Sanitization Review: If possible, audit the `public/class-surveyfunnel-lite-public.php` file for the ‘surveyfunnel_lite_survey’ shortcode and implement escaping functions such as `esc_attr()` and `esc_html()` on the output of user-supplied attributes. Refer to the WordPress escaping documentation for best practices.
References
WordPress Escaping Documentation
SurveyFunnel Plugin Vulnerable Code Snippet
Wordfence Threat Intelligence Report on CVE-2025-12417
