CVE-2025-24758 Overview
CVE-2025-24758 is a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the CreativeMindsSolutions CM Map Locations plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 2.0.8. The plugin fails to properly neutralize user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in a victim's browser. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, such as clicking a crafted link. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-79.
Critical Impact
Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in a victim's browser session, leading to session token theft, credential harvesting, or unauthorized actions performed in the context of the targeted WordPress site.
Affected Products
- CreativeMindsSolutions CM Map Locations plugin for WordPress
- All versions up to and including 2.0.8
- WordPress sites with the cm-map-locations plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-03-03 - CVE-2025-24758 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-24758
Vulnerability Analysis
The CM Map Locations plugin reflects user-controlled input back into HTTP responses without applying sufficient output encoding or input sanitization. When a victim loads a crafted URL containing attacker-supplied payload data, the plugin renders that payload into the page's HTML context. The browser then parses the injected content as executable JavaScript.
The scope-changed nature of the vulnerability means injected scripts can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component, expanding the blast radius to authenticated administrator sessions when an admin clicks the malicious link. The EPSS probability score is 0.232% (45.924 percentile), indicating low observed exploitation activity to date.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper neutralization of input during web page generation, as classified by CWE-79. The plugin does not apply context-aware output encoding such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or esc_url() provided by WordPress core APIs before echoing request parameters into the response. Reflected parameters are written directly into HTML, attribute, or JavaScript contexts without escaping special characters such as <, >, ", and '.
Attack Vector
The attack is delivered over the network and requires user interaction. An attacker crafts a URL targeting a vulnerable endpoint of the CM Map Locations plugin with a malicious payload embedded in a reflected parameter. The attacker then distributes the link through phishing email, social media, or a malicious referrer. When a victim clicks the link, the plugin reflects the payload into the rendered page, and the browser executes the injected script under the origin of the WordPress site.
No verified public exploit code is available for CVE-2025-24758. Technical details are available in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24758
Indicators of Compromise
- Web server access logs containing requests to cm-map-locations endpoints with URL parameters holding <script>, onerror=, javascript:, or HTML-encoded variants.
- Unexpected outbound requests from administrator browsers to attacker-controlled domains shortly after a user clicks an external link.
- Modifications to WordPress user accounts, plugin settings, or content immediately following access to the plugin from an authenticated admin session.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect HTTP query strings and POST bodies sent to plugin URLs for XSS payload signatures using a web application firewall (WAF) or reverse proxy logs.
- Correlate referrer headers pointing to untrusted external sources with requests targeting cm-map-locations parameters.
- Review WordPress audit logs for administrative changes that follow unusual page-load patterns tied to the vulnerable plugin paths.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable continuous WAF rule sets that block reflected XSS payloads targeting WordPress plugin parameters.
- Forward web server, WordPress, and WAF logs to a centralized analytics platform for cross-source correlation.
- Alert on administrator account activity originating from new IP addresses or user agents shortly after navigating to plugin URLs.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24758
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress installations running the CM Map Locations plugin version 2.0.8 or earlier.
- Deactivate the plugin until a patched release is available and verified.
- Force a password reset for WordPress administrators and rotate session tokens if exploitation is suspected.
- Apply WAF rules to block reflected XSS patterns targeting cm-map-locations endpoints.
Patch Information
No fixed version is identified in the available NVD data at the time of publication. The vulnerability affects CM Map Locations from initial release through 2.0.8. Monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the CreativeMindsSolutions vendor channels for an updated release that addresses CVE-2025-24758.
Workarounds
- Disable or uninstall the CM Map Locations plugin until a patched version is released.
- Deploy a WAF with managed rules that block reflected XSS payloads against WordPress plugin endpoints.
- Apply a strict Content Security Policy (CSP) that restricts inline scripts and unauthorized script sources.
- Train administrators to avoid clicking unverified links to WordPress site URLs, particularly those containing encoded query parameters.
# Configuration example: restrictive Content Security Policy header for WordPress
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; base-uri 'self'; frame-ancestors 'self'"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
