CVE-2025-14983: WordPress Font Awesome Field XSS Flaw

CVE-2025-14983 Overview

The Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field plugin for WordPress contains a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting all versions up to and including 5.0.1. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping within the plugin's Font Awesome field handling code. Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or above can exploit this flaw to inject arbitrary web scripts that execute in the context of a victim's browser session.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can inject malicious scripts that persist in the WordPress database and execute when other users view affected pages, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or administrative account compromise.

Affected Products

• Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field plugin for WordPress (versions ≤ 5.0.1)
• WordPress installations using the ACF Font Awesome v6 field component
• WordPress installations using the ACF Font Awesome v7 field component

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-19 - CVE-2025-14983 published to NVD
• 2026-02-19 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-14983

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation), commonly known as Cross-Site Scripting. The flaw exists within the plugin's Font Awesome field rendering components, specifically in the acf-font-awesome-v6.php and acf-font-awesome-v7.php files. The plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before storing it in the database and subsequently fails to escape this data when rendering it back to users.

The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability makes it particularly dangerous in multi-user WordPress environments. When a malicious contributor creates or modifies content containing Font Awesome field data with embedded script payloads, the injected scripts persist in the database. Any user—including administrators—who views the affected content will have the malicious script execute in their browser context.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of proper input validation and output escaping in the Font Awesome field handlers. Multiple locations within the codebase accept user-controlled data and render it directly into HTML output without applying WordPress's built-in escaping functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses(). The vulnerable code paths can be found at multiple line references in both the v6 and v7 field handler files, as documented in the WordPress ACF FontAwesome v6 Code and WordPress ACF FontAwesome v7 Code references.

Attack Vector

The attack requires authenticated access to the WordPress installation with at least Contributor-level privileges. An attacker would craft a malicious payload containing JavaScript code within a Font Awesome custom field value. When submitted, the plugin stores this unvalidated input in the WordPress database. Subsequently, when any user—including site administrators—views a page containing the affected field, the malicious script executes within their authenticated browser session.

The network-based attack vector means the attacker can exploit this vulnerability remotely. The changed scope in the vulnerability assessment indicates that the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component, potentially affecting the entire WordPress installation and any users who interact with it.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-14983

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected JavaScript code or <script> tags present in Font Awesome custom field database entries
• Unusual POST requests to WordPress admin endpoints containing encoded script payloads in ACF Font Awesome field parameters
• Browser console errors or unexpected script executions when viewing pages with Font Awesome custom fields
• Modified user sessions or unexplained administrative actions following page views

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect XSS payloads in form submissions targeting ACF Font Awesome fields
• Enable WordPress audit logging to track modifications to custom field content, particularly from Contributor-level users
• Deploy browser-based Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate the impact of injected scripts
• Conduct periodic database scans for suspicious content patterns in wp_postmeta tables associated with Font Awesome fields

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor WordPress authentication logs for unusual Contributor or Author account activity
• Set up alerts for bulk content modifications involving ACF custom fields
• Review server access logs for patterns indicating automated exploitation attempts
• Implement real-time monitoring of JavaScript execution patterns on WordPress frontend pages

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-14983

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field plugin to a version newer than 5.0.1 immediately
• Review existing Font Awesome custom field content for any suspicious script injections
• Audit Contributor-level and above user accounts for unauthorized access
• Consider temporarily disabling the plugin until the patched version is deployed

Patch Information

A patch addressing this vulnerability has been released by the plugin maintainers. The fix can be reviewed in the WordPress ACF FontAwesome Changeset. Organizations should update through the WordPress plugin repository or by downloading the latest version directly. For additional vulnerability details, refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Workarounds

• Restrict user roles by removing Contributor and Author privileges from untrusted users until patching is complete
• Implement a Content Security Policy (CSP) header to prevent inline script execution as a defense-in-depth measure
• Use a WordPress security plugin with XSS filtering capabilities to add an additional layer of input validation
• Temporarily remove or deactivate the ACF Font Awesome Field plugin if it is not critical to site functionality

# WordPress CLI commands to manage plugin security
# Check current plugin version
wp plugin list --name=advanced-custom-fields-font-awesome --fields=name,version,status

# Update the plugin to the latest patched version
wp plugin update advanced-custom-fields-font-awesome

# Alternatively, deactivate the plugin temporarily
wp plugin deactivate advanced-custom-fields-font-awesome