CVE-2025-24548: Autoglot WordPress Plugin XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24548 Overview

CVE-2025-24548 is a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the Autoglot – Automatic WordPress Translation plugin for WordPress. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79), allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of a victim's browser session. This vulnerability affects all versions of the Autoglot plugin through version 2.4.7.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit this Reflected XSS vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, or deliver malware through crafted URLs targeting WordPress administrators.

Affected Products

• Autoglot – Automatic WordPress Translation plugin versions up to and including 2.4.7
• WordPress installations running vulnerable Autoglot plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-17 - CVE-2025-24548 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24548

Vulnerability Analysis

This Reflected XSS vulnerability occurs when the Autoglot plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before reflecting it back in the HTML response. When a victim clicks on a maliciously crafted URL containing JavaScript payload, the script executes within their browser context with the same privileges as the targeted WordPress site.

The attack requires user interaction, as the victim must be tricked into clicking a specially crafted link. However, once triggered, the attacker can potentially hijack user sessions, modify page content, or perform unauthorized actions. The scope is changed, meaning the vulnerability can impact resources beyond the vulnerable component itself, potentially affecting the entire WordPress installation and connected services.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and output encoding within the Autoglot plugin. User-controlled data is reflected in the web page without proper sanitization, allowing script tags or JavaScript event handlers to be injected and executed. This represents a classic failure to follow secure coding practices for handling untrusted input in web applications.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires an attacker to craft a malicious URL containing a JavaScript payload targeting a vulnerable parameter in the Autoglot plugin. The attacker then distributes this URL through phishing emails, social media, or other means to trick authenticated WordPress users or administrators into clicking it.

Upon clicking the malicious link, the victim's browser executes the attacker's JavaScript code in the context of the WordPress site. Since Reflected XSS attacks target users rather than the server directly, the impact depends on the victim's privilege level—attacks against administrators could lead to complete site compromise.

The vulnerability mechanism involves crafted input being passed through plugin parameters without adequate sanitization. When the server reflects this input back in the HTML response, the browser interprets the injected content as legitimate code. For detailed technical information, see the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24548

Indicators of Compromise

• Suspicious URLs containing JavaScript code or encoded script tags in parameters targeting the Autoglot plugin
• Unusual referrer headers in web server logs pointing to external malicious domains
• Reports from users about unexpected redirects or browser behavior when using the WordPress site
• Web Application Firewall (WAF) alerts detecting XSS patterns in requests to WordPress plugin endpoints

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall rules to detect and block common XSS payload patterns in URL parameters
• Monitor WordPress access logs for requests containing suspicious characters such as <script>, javascript:, or encoded variants like %3Cscript%3E
• Enable browser-side Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reporting to detect XSS attempts
• Use WordPress security plugins that scan for malicious request patterns and block suspicious traffic

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerting for WAF events related to XSS detection signatures
• Review web server logs regularly for anomalous patterns in requests to the Autoglot plugin paths
• Monitor for unusual administrative actions that may indicate session hijacking following an XSS attack
• Implement browser telemetry or endpoint detection to identify JavaScript execution from unexpected sources

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24548

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Autoglot – Automatic WordPress Translation plugin to a patched version immediately if one is available
• Temporarily disable the Autoglot plugin if no patch is available and translation functionality is not critical
• Implement Web Application Firewall rules to filter XSS payloads targeting the plugin
• Educate WordPress administrators about phishing risks and suspicious link awareness

Patch Information

Organizations should check the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest patch availability and update instructions. Upgrade to a version newer than 2.4.7 once a security update is released by the plugin vendor.

Workarounds

• Implement a Content Security Policy (CSP) header to restrict script execution sources and mitigate XSS impact
• Use a Web Application Firewall with XSS filtering capabilities to block malicious requests before they reach WordPress
• Restrict access to WordPress administrative pages to trusted IP addresses only
• Consider temporarily deactivating the plugin until an official patch is available

# Example Apache .htaccess CSP header configuration
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
    Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none';"
</IfModule>