CVE-2025-24645: Eazy Under Construction XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24645 Overview

CVE-2025-24645 is a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the Eazy Under Construction WordPress plugin developed by Rob Scott. The vulnerability 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.

Critical Impact

Attackers can exploit this reflected XSS vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users, or deface web pages. Sites using the vulnerable plugin are at risk of user compromise and data theft.

Affected Products

• Eazy Under Construction WordPress Plugin version 1.0 and earlier
• WordPress installations with the eazy-under-construction plugin enabled

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-04-17 - CVE-2025-24645 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24645

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation). The Eazy Under Construction plugin fails to properly sanitize user input before reflecting it back in the generated HTML output. This allows an attacker to craft malicious URLs containing JavaScript payloads that execute when a victim clicks the link.

The attack requires user interaction—a victim must be tricked into clicking a malicious link. However, once clicked, the injected script runs with the full privileges of the victim's authenticated session on the WordPress site. This is particularly dangerous for WordPress administrators, as attackers could potentially gain administrative access to the site through session hijacking.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and output encoding in the Eazy Under Construction plugin. When user-controllable data is reflected in the page response without proper sanitization, any embedded JavaScript code is executed by the victim's browser. The plugin does not employ adequate escaping mechanisms such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or other WordPress sanitization functions before outputting user-supplied data.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires an attacker to craft a specially formatted URL containing malicious JavaScript code. The attacker then needs to trick an authenticated WordPress user into clicking this link through phishing emails, social engineering, or embedding the link on malicious websites.

When the victim visits the crafted URL, the vulnerable plugin reflects the malicious input back in the HTTP response without proper encoding, causing the injected script to execute in the victim's browser context. This can lead to session cookie theft, credential harvesting via fake login forms, unauthorized administrative actions, or redirection to malicious external sites.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24645

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual URL parameters containing JavaScript code or HTML tags in web server access logs
• Suspicious referrer headers pointing to external domains in requests to WordPress sites
• User reports of unexpected behavior or redirects when accessing the site
• Unusual administrative actions performed without legitimate administrator knowledge

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web application firewall (WAF) logs for XSS attack patterns targeting WordPress installations
• Implement content security policy (CSP) headers to detect and block inline script execution
• Review server access logs for requests containing encoded JavaScript payloads (e.g., %3Cscript%3E)
• Deploy browser-based XSS detection tools and monitor for policy violations

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all WordPress plugin activity and HTTP requests
• Configure alerts for suspicious URL patterns matching common XSS payload signatures
• Monitor for unusual session activity that could indicate session hijacking attempts
• Implement real-time monitoring for unauthorized administrative changes

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24645

Immediate Actions Required

• Deactivate and remove the Eazy Under Construction plugin from all WordPress installations
• Audit WordPress user sessions and force re-authentication for all administrative users
• Review recent administrative actions for signs of unauthorized access
• Consider alternative maintenance mode plugins with better security track records

Patch Information

As of the last available information, no patched version of the Eazy Under Construction plugin has been released. The vulnerability affects all versions from n/a through 1.0. Site administrators should consult the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for the latest remediation guidance and check if a security update becomes available.

Workarounds

• Remove or deactivate the Eazy Under Construction plugin until a security patch is available
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with XSS filtering rules as a temporary protective measure
• Use Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict inline script execution
• Employ alternative WordPress maintenance/under construction plugins that have been audited for security

# WordPress CLI command to deactivate the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate eazy-under-construction --path=/var/www/html/wordpress

# Verify plugin is deactivated
wp plugin status eazy-under-construction --path=/var/www/html/wordpress

# Optional: Remove the plugin entirely
wp plugin delete eazy-under-construction --path=/var/www/html/wordpress