CVE-2025-23824 Overview
CVE-2025-23824 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Alexander Weleczka FontAwesome.io ShortCodes plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of the plugin up to and including 1.0. It stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation [CWE-79]. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in the browsers of users who view the affected pages. The vulnerability requires user interaction and can cross a security boundary, enabling attackers to steal session data, redirect users, or perform actions in the context of higher-privileged accounts.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can store malicious JavaScript that executes in visitors' browsers, enabling session theft, credential harvesting, and unauthorized actions in the WordPress admin context.
Affected Products
- Alexander Weleczka FontAwesome.io ShortCodes plugin for WordPress
- All versions from n/a through 1.0
- WordPress sites that have the plugin installed and activated
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-01-16 - CVE CVE-2025-23824 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-23824
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a stored XSS flaw classified under [CWE-79]. The FontAwesome.io ShortCodes plugin fails to properly sanitize or escape user input before rendering it in generated web pages. An authenticated user with low-level privileges can submit crafted input containing JavaScript that the plugin stores in the WordPress database. When any subsequent visitor loads a page that renders the tainted shortcode output, the injected script executes in that visitor's browser session.
Because the scope of the attack changes (S:C in the vector), the injected code can act beyond the vulnerable component. This makes it possible for a low-privileged contributor account to target site administrators whose sessions have broader capabilities across the WordPress installation.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient output encoding of shortcode attributes and content before rendering to HTML. The plugin does not apply WordPress escaping functions such as esc_attr(), esc_html(), or wp_kses() to shortcode input prior to output. As a result, attacker-controlled markup and script tags survive intact through the rendering pipeline.
Attack Vector
An attacker authenticates to the target WordPress site with any account that can create or edit content using the plugin's shortcodes. The attacker inserts a shortcode containing malicious payload data, typically JavaScript within attribute values. Once saved, the payload is stored persistently. Administrators or other visitors trigger execution simply by browsing the affected page, satisfying the user-interaction requirement.
No verified public proof-of-concept exploit code is available for this vulnerability. See the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Advisory for advisory details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-23824
Indicators of Compromise
- Shortcode entries in wp_posts or wp_postmeta containing <script> tags, javascript: URIs, or on*= event handler attributes.
- Unexpected outbound HTTP requests from browsers viewing WordPress pages, particularly to unknown domains that may indicate data exfiltration.
- Newly created or modified administrator accounts following visits by admin users to pages containing FontAwesome shortcodes.
- Suspicious edits by low-privileged users (contributor or author roles) to posts or pages using the plugin.
Detection Strategies
- Scan post content and meta tables for shortcode attributes containing HTML tags or JavaScript event handlers.
- Enforce a Content Security Policy (CSP) that blocks inline scripts and log CSP violation reports for investigation.
- Review WordPress audit logs for content modifications by non-administrative accounts that include the plugin's shortcodes.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor web server logs for POST requests to wp-admin/post.php and admin-ajax.php from low-privileged users editing content.
- Alert on administrator session activity that immediately follows viewing of user-generated content.
- Track plugin file integrity and configuration changes across all WordPress installations in the environment.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-23824
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the FontAwesome.io ShortCodes plugin until a patched release is verified.
- Audit all existing content that uses the plugin's shortcodes and remove any entries containing scripts or event handlers.
- Restrict content-editing privileges to trusted accounts and enforce multi-factor authentication for all WordPress users.
- Rotate administrator credentials and invalidate active sessions if suspicious content is discovered.
Patch Information
No vendor patch is referenced in the NVD entry for versions beyond 1.0. Consult the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Advisory for current remediation status and any updated release information.
Workarounds
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules that block XSS payloads in POST parameters targeting WordPress content endpoints.
- Apply a strict Content Security Policy that disallows unsafe-inline scripts to limit exploitation impact.
- Replace the vulnerable plugin with an actively maintained alternative that properly escapes shortcode input.
# Example: Deactivate the vulnerable plugin using WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate fontawesomeio-shortcodes
wp plugin delete fontawesomeio-shortcodes
# Example: Add a restrictive Content Security Policy header in Apache
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.