CVE-2025-13068: Telegram Bot Plugin XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-13068 Overview

CVE-2025-13068 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability [CWE-79] in the Telegram Bot & Channel plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 4.1. It stems from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on the Telegram username field. Unauthenticated attackers can inject arbitrary web scripts that execute when any user views an affected page. The injected payloads persist in the database, making this a stored XSS rather than a reflected variant.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can inject persistent JavaScript payloads into WordPress pages, enabling session theft, administrative action hijacking, and redirection of site visitors to attacker-controlled infrastructure.

Affected Products

• Telegram Bot & Channel plugin for WordPress, all versions through 4.1
• WordPress installations with the plugin enabled
• Any site rendering Telegram username output from the plugin

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-11-25 - CVE-2025-13068 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-13068

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Telegram Bot & Channel plugin's handling of the Telegram username value. The plugin accepts user-supplied input for the Telegram username but fails to sanitize the data on input and fails to escape it on output. According to the WordPress Plugin File Reference, the affected code path renders the username value directly into a page column without HTML encoding.

Because the injection point accepts arbitrary characters, an attacker can supply a Telegram username containing HTML and JavaScript. When the plugin later renders that username on a page, the browser parses the payload as code rather than text. The attack requires no authentication and no user interaction beyond visiting an affected page.

Stored XSS in WordPress plugins often enables follow-on attacks against authenticated administrators. An attacker can use the injected script to perform actions in the administrator's session, including creating new admin accounts, modifying plugin settings, or installing additional malicious code. The scope-changed CVSS vector reflects that the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component into the browser of any visiting user.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing input sanitization and missing output escaping on the Telegram username field. WordPress provides functions such as sanitize_text_field() for input and esc_html() or esc_attr() for output, but the plugin does not apply them to the username value rendered in columns.php.

Attack Vector

The attacker submits a crafted Telegram username containing a script payload to a public-facing input handled by the plugin. The plugin stores the value and renders it without escaping when a page that includes the column output is loaded. The payload executes in the browser of every user who views that page. The full technical writeup is published in the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-13068

Indicators of Compromise

• Telegram username database entries containing <script>, onerror=, onload=, or javascript: substrings
• Unexpected outbound requests from visitor browsers to unfamiliar domains after loading plugin-rendered pages
• New WordPress administrator accounts created without a corresponding admin login event
• Modified plugin or theme files following visits by authenticated administrators

Detection Strategies

• Query the WordPress database for plugin-stored values matching common XSS signatures and HTML tags
• Inspect rendered HTML on pages using the plugin for unescaped angle brackets or inline event handlers
• Review web application firewall logs for POST requests targeting the Telegram Bot & Channel plugin endpoints with script-like payloads
• Compare installed plugin versions against the patched release across all WordPress sites in the environment

Monitoring Recommendations

• Alert on creation of new WordPress users with administrator role outside change windows
• Monitor wp-content/plugins/telegram-bot/ for file integrity changes
• Log and review all HTTP requests that include <script or encoded variants in form parameters
• Track Content Security Policy violation reports from site visitors

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-13068

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Telegram Bot & Channel plugin to a version newer than 4.1 once the vendor releases a fix
• Disable the plugin if a patched version is not yet available and the functionality is not business-critical
• Audit the plugin's stored data for existing XSS payloads and remove malicious entries
• Rotate WordPress administrator passwords and review user accounts for unauthorized additions

Patch Information

At the time of NVD publication, all versions up to and including 4.1 are affected. Site operators should monitor the WordPress plugin repository for updated releases and apply the fix immediately upon availability. Review the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for current patch status.

Workarounds

• Deploy a web application firewall rule to block requests containing script tags in Telegram username parameters
• Implement a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline script execution on plugin-rendered pages
• Restrict access to plugin input endpoints using IP allowlisting where feasible
• Temporarily deactivate the plugin until a vendor patch is published and verified

# Example WordPress CLI command to deactivate the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate telegram-bot --all