CVE-2025-23751 Overview
CVE-2025-23751 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Think201 Data Dash WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions of data-dash up to and including 1.2.3. The plugin fails to properly neutralize user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary JavaScript that executes in the victim's browser context. The issue is tracked under CWE-79 and was published to NVD on February 14, 2025.
Critical Impact
A successful attack requires a victim to click a crafted link, after which attacker-controlled script executes in the browser, potentially leading to session theft, account takeover, or further client-side compromise across security scopes.
Affected Products
- Think201 Data Dash WordPress plugin (data-dash)
- All versions from initial release through 1.2.3
- WordPress sites with the plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-02-14 - CVE-2025-23751 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-23751
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of input during web page generation in the Think201 Data Dash plugin. User-supplied parameters are reflected back into the HTTP response without adequate output encoding or input sanitization. An attacker crafts a URL containing JavaScript payloads in vulnerable parameters and delivers it to a target. When the victim loads the link, the unsanitized payload renders inside the page and executes under the origin of the WordPress site.
Because the scope is marked as changed, code injected through the plugin can affect resources beyond its initial security context. This pattern is consistent with reflected XSS where the payload escapes the plugin boundary into the broader WordPress administrative or front-end context.
Root Cause
The plugin returns request parameters into HTML output without applying WordPress sanitization helpers such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses(). The absence of contextual output escaping permits HTML and JavaScript fragments to be interpreted as markup rather than rendered as text.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires user interaction. The attacker delivers a malicious link through phishing, a forum post, or a malicious site. When clicked, the browser sends the crafted parameter to the vulnerable Data Dash endpoint. The server reflects the payload, and the browser executes the injected script. No authentication is required to craft or deliver the link.
The vulnerability mechanism is a standard reflected XSS pattern. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23751
Indicators of Compromise
- HTTP request logs containing URL parameters with <script>, javascript:, onerror=, or onload= substrings directed at Data Dash plugin endpoints
- Outbound connections from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains immediately following access to plugin URLs
- Unexpected creation or modification of WordPress administrator accounts following click activity on suspicious referrer URLs
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web server access logs for requests to /wp-content/plugins/data-dash/ paths containing encoded or raw HTML metacharacters
- Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that match common reflected XSS payload signatures on plugin parameters
- Correlate suspicious click-through traffic with authenticated WordPress session activity to identify potential victim sessions
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging for administrative actions and plugin requests
- Monitor browser Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for inline script execution attempts on pages rendered by the plugin
- Track plugin version inventory across managed WordPress installations to surface hosts running data-dash 1.2.3 or earlier
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23751
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress instances with the Data Dash plugin installed and confirm installed versions
- Deactivate and remove the plugin where a patched version is not available or not yet deployed
- Apply the vendor patch as soon as a fixed release is published by Think201
Patch Information
At the time of NVD publication, the advisory lists affected versions through 1.2.3 with no fixed version explicitly identified in the available references. Administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the WordPress plugin repository for updated release information.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the Data Dash plugin until a patched version is available
- Deploy WAF rules that block requests containing script tags or JavaScript event handlers in query strings targeting plugin endpoints
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline script execution to limit impact of reflected payloads
- Train administrators to avoid clicking unverified links to the WordPress site, particularly those received through email or external referrers
# Example WAF rule pattern (ModSecurity) blocking script payloads in plugin parameters
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-content/plugins/data-dash/" \
"chain,id:1002375,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'Possible CVE-2025-23751 XSS attempt'"
SecRule ARGS "@rx (?i)(<script|javascript:|onerror=|onload=)" "t:none,t:urlDecodeUni"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
