Overview
CVE-2025-13614 identifies a significant Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the Cool Tag Cloud plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability exists in versions up to and including 2.29. By exploiting this flaw, authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher can inject malicious JavaScript code into WordPress pages. When unsuspecting users visit these compromised pages, the injected scripts will execute, potentially leading to data theft, account compromise, or website defacement.
Technical Details
The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping within the ‘cool_tag_cloud’ shortcode. Specifically, the plugin fails to properly cleanse user-supplied attributes before rendering them in the HTML output. An attacker can craft a malicious shortcode containing JavaScript code within the attribute values. This code is then stored in the WordPress database and executed in the user’s browser whenever the page containing the malicious shortcode is loaded.
Affected code snippet can be reviewed in the WordPress plugin’s source code repository.
CVSS Analysis
- CVE ID: CVE-2025-13614
- Severity: HIGH
- CVSS Score: 8.1
A CVSS score of 8.1 indicates a high severity vulnerability. This score reflects the potential for significant impact and the relative ease with which the vulnerability can be exploited.
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of this XSS vulnerability can have serious consequences:
- Account Compromise: Attackers can steal user session cookies, allowing them to hijack user accounts, including administrator accounts.
- Data Theft: Sensitive data, such as user credentials or customer information, can be stolen from the website.
- Website Defacement: Attackers can modify the website’s content, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject spam.
- Malware Distribution: The injected JavaScript code can be used to distribute malware to website visitors.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
The recommended course of action is to immediately update the Cool Tag Cloud plugin to the latest version, if a version greater than 2.29 is available. If an update is not yet available, consider temporarily disabling the plugin until a patched version is released.
If updating isn’t immediately possible, consider implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block XSS attacks targeting the ‘cool_tag_cloud’ shortcode. However, this is only a temporary workaround and should not be considered a replacement for updating the plugin.
