CVE-2025-22653 Overview
CVE-2025-22653 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Music Press Pro WordPress plugin by tuyennv. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 1.4.6. Attackers with low-privilege authenticated access can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute when other users, including administrators, view affected pages. The issue stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, classified under [CWE-79].
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can inject persistent JavaScript that executes in the browser context of site visitors and administrators, enabling session theft, account takeover, and content manipulation.
Affected Products
- tuyennv Music Press Pro plugin for WordPress
- All versions from initial release through 1.4.6
- WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-02-04 - CVE-2025-22653 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-22653
Vulnerability Analysis
The Music Press Pro plugin fails to properly sanitize user-controlled input before rendering it in HTML output. This deficiency allows an authenticated user with contributor-level privileges or higher to store malicious JavaScript inside plugin-managed fields. When another user loads a page containing the stored payload, the browser executes the injected script in the site's origin.
Stored XSS in WordPress plugins typically leads to full administrator compromise. Injected JavaScript can create new administrator accounts, exfiltrate session cookies, or modify plugin settings. The scope change indicated in the vulnerability metrics reflects that impact crosses trust boundaries between authenticated authors and site visitors.
User interaction is required for successful exploitation. A victim, typically an administrator, must view the page or dashboard element containing the payload.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing output encoding and input sanitization in the plugin's request handlers. WordPress provides functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), sanitize_text_field(), and wp_kses() to prevent script injection. Music Press Pro versions through 1.4.6 did not apply these controls consistently to user-submitted data before echoing it into HTML contexts.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires network access and low-privilege authentication on the target WordPress instance. An attacker submits a crafted payload containing JavaScript through a vulnerable plugin field. The payload persists in the WordPress database and triggers each time a user renders the affected view. Technical specifics are documented in the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22653
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script> tags, javascript: URIs, or event handlers such as onerror= and onload= stored in Music Press Pro database records
- New administrator accounts created without corresponding audit trail entries
- Outbound HTTP requests from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains shortly after loading WordPress admin pages
- Modified plugin, theme, or option values that do not correlate with known administrator activity
Detection Strategies
- Inspect wp_posts, wp_postmeta, and plugin-specific tables for HTML entities and script fragments in fields that should contain plain text
- Review web server access logs for POST requests to Music Press Pro endpoints containing URL-encoded script payloads
- Correlate authenticated contributor or author account activity with subsequent administrator session anomalies
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging to capture user creation, role changes, and plugin configuration edits
- Deploy a web application firewall with XSS signature rules and monitor blocked requests targeting plugin endpoints
- Alert on Content Security Policy violation reports from administrator sessions
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22653
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress installations running Music Press Pro version 1.4.6 or earlier
- Restrict contributor, author, and editor account creation until a patched version is deployed
- Audit existing plugin data for stored payloads and remove malicious content before administrators next access affected pages
- Rotate administrator credentials and invalidate active sessions if suspicious activity is observed
Patch Information
At the time of publication, the vulnerability affects Music Press Pro versions through 1.4.6. Consult the Patchstack advisory for the latest fixed version information and upgrade to the patched release as soon as it is available.
Workarounds
- Deactivate and remove the Music Press Pro plugin until a patched version is installed
- Enforce a restrictive Content Security Policy that blocks inline script execution on WordPress admin pages
- Limit the assignment of contributor, author, and editor roles to trusted users only
- Deploy a web application firewall rule to strip or block script tags in requests to plugin endpoints
# Configuration example: identify installations and disable the plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin list --name=music-press-pro --field=version
wp plugin deactivate music-press-pro
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.