CVE-2025-24700: WP Event Aggregator XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24700 Overview

CVE-2025-24700 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Xylus Themes WP Event Aggregator plugin for WordPress. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation [CWE-79]. Attackers can craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by an authenticated user, execute arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser session. The vulnerability affects all versions of wp-event-aggregator up to and including 1.8.2. Successful exploitation allows attackers to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the victim, or redirect users to attacker-controlled sites.

Critical Impact
Reflected XSS enables session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized administrative actions when a WordPress site administrator clicks a crafted link.

Affected Products

Xylus Themes WP Event Aggregator plugin for WordPress
All versions from n/a through 1.8.2
WordPress sites using the wp-event-aggregator plugin

Discovery Timeline

2025-02-14 - CVE-2025-24700 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24700

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the WP Event Aggregator plugin, which imports and manages events from external sources such as Eventbrite, Meetup, and Facebook. The plugin fails to properly sanitize and encode user-supplied parameters before reflecting them back into HTTP responses. This allows an attacker to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript into generated pages.

Because the vulnerability is reflected rather than stored, exploitation requires user interaction. An attacker must convince a victim, typically a site administrator or authenticated user, to click a crafted link. The scope-changed classification indicates that injected scripts execute in a security context different from the vulnerable component, expanding the potential impact.

The EPSS score of 0.245% places this vulnerability at the 15th percentile for likelihood of exploitation. No public proof-of-concept exploit has been observed, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing output encoding on request parameters that flow into HTML responses. The plugin accepts input from GET or POST parameters and includes it in rendered pages without applying WordPress escaping functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or esc_url(). This violates [CWE-79] output sanitization requirements.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network without authentication. An attacker crafts a URL containing a malicious payload in a vulnerable parameter and delivers it via phishing, malicious advertisements, or forum posts. When a logged-in user visits the URL, the payload executes in their browser under the origin of the WordPress site.

The vulnerability requires user interaction, limiting mass exploitation. However, targeted attacks against WordPress administrators can result in full site compromise through session token theft or forced administrative actions. See the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24700

Indicators of Compromise

Web server access logs containing <script>, javascript:, onerror=, or onload= strings in query parameters targeting wp-event-aggregator endpoints
URL-encoded payloads such as %3Cscript%3E in requests to plugin URIs
Outbound requests from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains following visits to plugin pages
Unexpected creation of WordPress administrator accounts or plugin installations shortly after link-click activity

Detection Strategies

Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule set that identifies reflected XSS patterns in requests to /wp-content/plugins/wp-event-aggregator/ paths
Enable WordPress audit logging to track administrator sessions and correlate them with suspicious referrer headers
Review browser console errors and Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for blocked inline scripts originating from plugin pages

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest WordPress access logs and PHP error logs into a centralized logging platform for correlation and alerting
Alert on HTTP requests to plugin endpoints containing HTML entities or JavaScript event handlers in query strings
Monitor authenticated administrator sessions for anomalous actions such as user creation, role changes, or plugin uploads

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24700

Immediate Actions Required

Update the WP Event Aggregator plugin to a version later than 1.8.2 as soon as a patched release is available from Xylus Themes
Restrict administrative access to trusted IP ranges using web server or WAF controls until the plugin is patched
Educate administrators to avoid clicking untrusted links, particularly while logged into the WordPress dashboard

Patch Information

At the time of publication, refer to the Patchstack advisory for the latest patch status. Users should confirm the installed plugin version exceeds 1.8.2 and verify the release notes reference this CVE.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the WP Event Aggregator plugin until a fixed version is installed
Deploy a Content Security Policy (CSP) header that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins
Configure a WAF rule to block requests containing common XSS payload signatures targeting plugin endpoints

bash

# Example Content Security Policy header for Apache to reduce XSS impact
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; base-uri 'self'; frame-ancestors 'self';"