CVE-2025-22774: CRUDLab Scroll to Top XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-22774 Overview

CVE-2025-22774 is a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the CRUDLab Scroll to Top WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.0.1. Attackers can inject unsanitized input into web page output, executing arbitrary JavaScript in a victim's browser when they click a crafted link. The vulnerability falls under [CWE-79], improper neutralization of input during web page generation. Successful exploitation requires user interaction but no authentication, and the scope is changed, meaning impact extends beyond the vulnerable component.

Critical Impact

Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in a victim's browser session, enabling session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized actions on the affected WordPress site.

Affected Products

• CRUDLab Scroll to Top WordPress plugin (versions up to and including 1.0.1)
• WordPress sites using the crudlab-scroll-to-top plugin
• All WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin active

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-17 - CVE CVE-2025-22774 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-22774

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a reflected XSS flaw in the CRUDLab Scroll to Top plugin. The plugin fails to sanitize user-supplied input before reflecting it in HTTP responses rendered by the browser. Attackers craft URLs containing malicious JavaScript payloads in vulnerable parameters. When a victim clicks the crafted link, the unsanitized payload executes in the victim's browser within the context of the affected WordPress site.

The Patchstack advisory confirms the issue affects plugin versions up to and including 1.0.1. Because the CVSS scope is marked as changed, the executed script can affect resources beyond the vulnerable plugin, including authenticated sessions, cookies, and DOM content from the parent WordPress site.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient output encoding when the plugin processes user-controlled request parameters. The plugin echoes input back into the HTML response without applying WordPress sanitization functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses(). This violates [CWE-79] secure coding requirements for web page generation.

Attack Vector

The attack requires no authentication but does require user interaction. An attacker delivers a crafted URL through phishing emails, malicious advertisements, or compromised websites. When the targeted user, often an authenticated WordPress administrator, clicks the link, the payload executes with the privileges of that user session. See the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability advisory for additional technical details.

// No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available.
// Refer to the Patchstack advisory for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22774

Indicators of Compromise

• Suspicious URL query parameters containing HTML tags such as <script>, onerror=, or javascript: directed at endpoints exposed by the crudlab-scroll-to-top plugin
• Web server access logs showing unusual encoded characters such as %3Cscript%3E in requests targeting plugin URLs
• Unexpected outbound requests from administrator browsers to attacker-controlled domains after clicking external links

Detection Strategies

• Inspect WordPress access logs for requests to plugin paths containing reflected query parameters with script-like content
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set that flags XSS payload signatures targeting WordPress plugins
• Audit installed plugin inventories for crudlab-scroll-to-top at version 1.0.1 or earlier

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor browser console errors and Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for unexpected script execution on WordPress administrative pages
• Track outbound HTTP requests from authenticated administrator sessions to identify potential data exfiltration
• Enable WordPress audit logging to record plugin configuration changes that may follow successful XSS exploitation

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22774

Immediate Actions Required

• Deactivate and remove the CRUDLab Scroll to Top plugin from affected WordPress sites until a patched version is verified
• Invalidate active administrator sessions and rotate credentials for users who may have clicked suspicious links
• Apply a WAF rule to block requests containing XSS payload patterns targeting the plugin's endpoints

Patch Information

As of the last NVD update on 2026-04-23, no fixed version is identified in the advisory data. The vulnerability affects all versions through 1.0.1. Administrators should consult the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability entry and the WordPress plugin repository for any subsequent patched releases.

Workarounds

• Remove the vulnerable plugin entirely and replace it with a maintained scroll-to-top alternative
• Implement a strict Content Security Policy (CSP) header that disallows inline script execution on WordPress pages
• Train administrators to avoid clicking unverified links to WordPress URLs, particularly those containing query parameters with HTML characters

# Example: disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate crudlab-scroll-to-top
wp plugin delete crudlab-scroll-to-top