CVE-2025-1294: eForm WordPress Plugin XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-1294 Overview

A Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been identified in the eForm - WordPress Form Builder plugin for WordPress. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 4.18.0 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This security flaw enables unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts into pages, which then execute whenever a user accesses the compromised page.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can inject persistent malicious scripts that execute in the context of any user viewing the affected page, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.

Affected Products

• eForm - WordPress Form Builder plugin versions up to and including 4.18.0
• WordPress installations with vulnerable eForm plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-24 - CVE CVE-2025-1294 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-1294

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under the category of Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), classified as CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation). The eForm WordPress Form Builder plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before storing it in the database and subsequently fails to escape the output when rendering content on web pages.

The attack can be executed remotely over the network without requiring any authentication or special privileges. The vulnerability allows an attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code that persists in the application's storage and executes each time a user views the affected page. This persistence makes Stored XSS particularly dangerous compared to Reflected XSS variants.

The scope of this vulnerability is significant as the injected scripts can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component itself, potentially impacting user sessions, cookies, and interactions with the broader WordPress installation.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-1294 lies in the inadequate implementation of input validation and output encoding within the eForm plugin. Specifically:

1. Insufficient Input Sanitization: The plugin does not properly validate and sanitize user input before storing it in the WordPress database, allowing malicious script content to be preserved.

2. Missing Output Escaping: When rendering stored content back to users, the plugin fails to apply proper HTML entity encoding or JavaScript escaping, enabling the injected scripts to execute in the browser context.

This combination of input and output security failures creates a persistent XSS attack vector that affects all users who access the compromised content.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based and requires no authentication. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by submitting form data containing malicious JavaScript payloads through the eForm plugin interface. The attack flow typically involves:

1. The attacker identifies a form created with the vulnerable eForm plugin
2. Malicious script payloads are submitted through form fields that lack proper sanitization
3. The payload is stored in the WordPress database
4. When legitimate users or administrators view the stored form data or affected pages, the malicious script executes in their browser
5. The script can then perform actions such as stealing session tokens, modifying page content, or redirecting users to malicious sites

Since no authentication is required, any internet-accessible WordPress site running vulnerable versions of eForm is at risk.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1294

Indicators of Compromise

• Presence of unexpected JavaScript code in form submissions or database records
• Unusual HTML tags or event handlers (such as <script>, onerror, onload) in stored form data
• Reports of unexpected behavior when viewing form submissions or plugin-generated pages
• Browser console errors or security warnings when accessing forms or admin pages
• Evidence of cookie theft or session hijacking attempts in server logs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor WordPress database tables associated with eForm for suspicious script content patterns
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect XSS payloads in form submissions
• Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to identify and block unauthorized script execution
• Conduct regular security audits of stored form data and plugin-generated content
• Review server access logs for patterns indicative of XSS reconnaissance or exploitation

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for form submissions to track potentially malicious input
• Configure intrusion detection systems to alert on common XSS payload signatures
• Implement real-time monitoring for JavaScript execution anomalies on WordPress pages
• Set up alerts for administrative actions that may indicate compromised admin sessions

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1294

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the eForm - WordPress Form Builder plugin to a version newer than 4.18.0 that contains the security fix
• Review existing form submissions and database content for evidence of injected scripts
• Clear any cached pages that may contain stored malicious content
• Implement Content Security Policy headers to mitigate the impact of any existing XSS payloads
• Consider temporarily disabling the plugin if an immediate update is not possible

Patch Information

Plugin updates should be applied through the WordPress admin dashboard or via the CodeCanyon Product Overview page. The Eform Live Changelog provides details on security fixes and version updates. For complete vulnerability details, consult the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with XSS filtering capabilities to block malicious payloads before they reach the plugin
• Implement strict Content Security Policy headers to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts
• Use input validation at the web server level to filter out common XSS patterns
• Restrict access to form submission pages to authenticated users only where feasible
• Regularly backup and audit database content associated with the eForm plugin

# Example Content Security Policy header configuration for Apache
# Add to .htaccess or Apache configuration file
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline';"