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

CVE-2025-22774 Overview

CVE-2025-22774 is a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the CRUDLab Scroll to Top WordPress plugin. This security flaw stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of a victim's browser session.

The vulnerability exists in versions up to and including 1.0.1 of the crudlab-scroll-to-top plugin. Reflected XSS vulnerabilities of this nature can be leveraged to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users without their consent.

Critical Impact

Attackers can craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by authenticated WordPress administrators, could lead to session hijacking, unauthorized administrative actions, or complete site compromise.

Affected Products

• CRUDLab Scroll to Top WordPress Plugin versions n/a through 1.0.1
• WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin enabled
• Any website visitors or administrators interacting with malicious links

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-17 - CVE-2025-22774 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-22774

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation), commonly known as Cross-Site Scripting. The CRUDLab Scroll to Top plugin fails to properly sanitize or encode user-controlled input before reflecting it back in the HTML response.

Reflected XSS attacks require social engineering to be successful—an attacker must convince a victim to click a specially crafted URL containing the malicious payload. When the victim visits the malicious link, the injected script executes within their browser session with the same privileges as the legitimate application.

In the context of WordPress plugins, this type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because administrative users often have elevated privileges, making them attractive targets for attackers seeking to compromise the entire WordPress installation.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and output encoding in the CRUDLab Scroll to Top plugin. User-supplied data is reflected directly into the generated web page without proper sanitization, escaping, or encoding. WordPress provides built-in functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), and wp_kses() for safely handling user input, but these were not properly implemented in the vulnerable code paths.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2025-22774 involves crafting a malicious URL containing JavaScript code within vulnerable parameters. When an unsuspecting user clicks this link, the malicious script executes in their browser context. The attacker typically delivers these malicious URLs through phishing emails, social media messages, or by embedding them in third-party websites.

A typical attack scenario involves:

1. The attacker identifies the vulnerable parameter in the CRUDLab Scroll to Top plugin
2. A malicious URL is crafted containing JavaScript payload in the vulnerable parameter
3. The attacker distributes the malicious link to potential victims through social engineering
4. When a victim clicks the link, the malicious script executes in their browser
5. The attacker can then steal cookies, session tokens, or perform actions as the victim

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, see the Patchstack security advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22774

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual URL parameters containing JavaScript code or HTML entities in requests to WordPress sites
• Web server logs showing requests with encoded script tags (<script>, %3Cscript%3E) targeting plugin endpoints
• Reports from users about unexpected redirects or pop-ups when visiting the site
• Browser console errors indicating blocked inline script execution from Content Security Policy violations

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application firewall (WAF) logs for XSS attack patterns targeting WordPress plugin endpoints
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to detect and block inline script execution attempts
• Review web server access logs for suspicious URL parameters containing encoded characters or script tags
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity for real-time detection of web-based attacks and malicious script execution

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all WordPress plugin-related HTTP requests
• Configure alerts for URL parameters exceeding normal length thresholds or containing suspicious patterns
• Monitor for unusual outbound connections from user browsers that may indicate successful XSS exploitation
• Implement regular security scanning of WordPress installations to identify vulnerable plugins

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22774

Immediate Actions Required

• Audit your WordPress installation for the presence of the CRUDLab Scroll to Top plugin
• If the plugin is installed, update to a patched version if available or deactivate and remove the plugin immediately
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to filter XSS payloads in incoming requests
• Enable Content Security Policy headers to mitigate the impact of any successful XSS attacks

Patch Information

Organizations should check the WordPress plugin repository and the Patchstack vulnerability database for updates addressing this vulnerability. If no patch is available, consider removing the plugin and using an alternative solution for scroll-to-top functionality.

Workarounds

• Deactivate and delete the CRUDLab Scroll to Top plugin until a security patch is released
• Implement strict Content Security Policy headers to prevent inline script execution
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall with XSS protection rules enabled
• Educate administrative users about the risks of clicking untrusted links while logged into WordPress

# Add Content Security Policy headers in .htaccess (Apache)
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
    Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline';"
    Header set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"
    Header set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
</IfModule>