CVE-2025-22524: Formafzar Form Builder Stored XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-22524 Overview

CVE-2025-22524 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the formafzar (فرم ساز فرم افزار) WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions from the initial release through version 2.0. Attackers with low privileges can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in the browsers of other users who view affected pages. The vulnerability maps to [CWE-79], improper neutralization of input during web page generation. Because the injected script executes in the context of the vulnerable site, it can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component and change scope.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can store malicious scripts that execute in visiting users' browsers, enabling session theft, credential harvesting, and unauthorized actions performed under the victim's identity.

Affected Products

formafzar (فرم ساز فرم افزار) WordPress plugin versions up to and including 2.0
WordPress sites with the plugin installed and active
Any user session interacting with pages that render unsanitized plugin output

Discovery Timeline

2025-01-07 - CVE-2025-22524 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in the NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-22524

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the formafzar plugin's handling of user-supplied form input. The plugin fails to neutralize special characters before storing input and rendering it back within generated HTML output. An authenticated attacker with low privileges submits crafted input containing JavaScript. The payload is stored server-side and later served to any user who loads the affected page.

Because the payload persists in the database, exploitation is repeatable and affects every visitor to the compromised page until removal. The scope changes from the vulnerable component to the browser, meaning script execution influences resources under the parent site's origin. User interaction is required, typically loading a page that renders the tainted content.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient output encoding when the plugin renders form-related content into HTML responses. Input passed through form submission handlers is not sanitized with functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses() before being echoed to the DOM. WordPress provides these APIs specifically to prevent [CWE-79] flaws, and their absence permits arbitrary HTML and script tags to reach the rendered page.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against WordPress sites running formafzar <= 2.0. The attacker authenticates with a low-privilege account, submits a form or configuration field containing a script payload, and waits for administrators or other visitors to load the affected view. Once the victim's browser parses the tainted markup, the payload executes with the site's origin privileges. Consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for advisory details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22524

Indicators of Compromise

Presence of <script>, onerror=, onload=, or javascript: strings in stored form entries or plugin database tables
Unexpected outbound HTTP requests from administrator browsers to attacker-controlled domains after loading plugin pages
New or modified WordPress administrator accounts appearing shortly after plugin pages are viewed
Anomalous session cookies or authentication tokens observed leaving the network

Detection Strategies

Scan the WordPress database for HTML event handlers and script tags inside formafzar-managed tables and post meta
Review web server access logs for POST requests to formafzar endpoints containing encoded script payloads
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) ruleset that identifies stored XSS payload patterns in plugin submission endpoints
Correlate authenticated form submissions from low-privilege accounts with subsequent administrator page loads

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reporting to surface script executions from unexpected sources
Monitor WordPress audit logs for plugin content changes made by non-administrator accounts
Alert on browser-based data exfiltration attempts targeting wp-admin sessions
Track plugin version inventory across WordPress deployments and flag installations at or below version 2.0

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22524

Immediate Actions Required

Deactivate the formafzar plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the vendor
Audit all existing form submissions and stored plugin data for injected script content and remove tainted entries
Rotate WordPress administrator passwords and invalidate active sessions if the plugin has been in use
Restrict low-privilege account creation and review recently registered accounts for suspicious activity

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the advisory lists the vulnerability as affecting versions up to and including 2.0 with no fixed version referenced. Monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the WordPress plugin repository for a vendor-supplied update. Apply any released patch immediately after validation in a staging environment.

Workarounds

Remove the formafzar plugin entirely if a patched version is not yet available
Deploy a WAF rule that blocks HTML tags and JavaScript event handlers in POST requests to plugin endpoints
Implement a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts on pages rendering plugin output
Limit form submission privileges to trusted user roles until the plugin is patched or replaced

bash

# Example restrictive Content-Security-Policy header for WordPress (Apache)
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; base-uri 'self'; frame-ancestors 'self'"