CVE-2025-23741 Overview
CVE-2025-23741 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Florian Chaillou Notifications Center WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.5.2. Attackers can inject malicious script content into HTTP request parameters that the plugin reflects back to the browser without proper neutralization. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, such as clicking a crafted link. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-79 and originates from improper input sanitization during web page generation.
Critical Impact
Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of a victim's browser session, enabling session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized actions on the WordPress site.
Affected Products
- Florian Chaillou Notifications Center plugin for WordPress
- All versions from n/a through 1.5.2
- WordPress sites with the notifications-center plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-03-03 - CVE-2025-23741 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-23741
Vulnerability Analysis
The Notifications Center plugin fails to properly neutralize user-supplied input during web page generation. When a victim follows an attacker-crafted URL, the plugin reflects unsanitized input directly into the rendered HTML response. The browser then executes the injected JavaScript within the origin of the vulnerable WordPress site.
The scope change indicated by the CVSS vector means the executed payload can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component itself. This includes the authenticated user's session, cookies accessible to the WordPress origin, and the Document Object Model (DOM) of any page rendered by the plugin. The vulnerability carries an EPSS probability of 0.346%.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing output encoding and input validation in the plugin's request-handling logic. The plugin accepts parameters from HTTP requests and echoes them into HTML responses without applying WordPress escaping functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses(). This omission allows raw HTML and JavaScript tokens to reach the browser parser.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker crafts a URL containing a malicious payload in a vulnerable parameter and delivers it through phishing, social media, or compromised pages. When a victim clicks the link, the plugin reflects the payload into the page and the browser executes it. No authentication is required to craft the link, but the impact scales with the privileges of the victim who clicks it.
Further technical details are documented in the Patchstack Security Vulnerability Report.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23741
Indicators of Compromise
- HTTP requests to WordPress endpoints associated with the notifications-center plugin containing <script>, javascript:, or onerror= tokens in query parameters
- Web server access logs showing URL-encoded payloads such as %3Cscript%3E targeting plugin pages
- Referer headers from external phishing infrastructure preceding requests to plugin URLs
- Unexpected outbound requests from administrator browsers to attacker-controlled domains after visiting plugin pages
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web application firewall (WAF) logs for reflected XSS patterns directed at the notifications-center plugin paths
- Correlate browser-side Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports with WordPress administrator sessions
- Hunt for suspicious URL parameters in HTTP traffic captured by network monitoring tools
- Review WordPress audit logs for administrator actions that follow shortly after clicking external links
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose access logging on the WordPress front-end and ingest logs into a centralized analytics platform
- Deploy CSP headers with report-uri to capture inline script execution attempts
- Monitor for new or modified administrator accounts, plugin installations, and theme edits that may follow session hijacking
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23741
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate the Notifications Center plugin until a patched version is verified and installed
- Audit WordPress administrator and editor accounts for unauthorized changes since the plugin was installed
- Force password resets and invalidate active sessions for all privileged WordPress users
- Apply WAF rules that block common XSS payload patterns targeting the plugin's endpoints
Patch Information
No fixed version is referenced in the current NVD record. The advisory states the issue affects Notifications Center from n/a through <= 1.5.2. Site operators should consult the Patchstack advisory for the latest remediation status and remove or replace the plugin if no patched release is available.
Workarounds
- Remove the notifications-center plugin directory from wp-content/plugins/ if a patched version is not yet available
- Restrict access to WordPress admin URLs by source IP using web server configuration
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and untrusted script sources
- Train administrators to avoid clicking unsolicited links that target their own WordPress installations
# Example: disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate notifications-center
wp plugin delete notifications-center
# Example: restrict wp-admin access by IP in Apache .htaccess
<Files wp-login.php>
Require ip 203.0.113.0/24
</Files>
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
