CVE-2025-26772 Overview
CVE-2025-26772 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Detheme DethemeKit For Elementor WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.1.8. It stems from improper neutralization of input during web page generation, tracked as [CWE-79].
Authenticated attackers with low privileges can inject malicious scripts that persist in the database. The stored payloads execute in the browsers of users who view affected pages, including administrators. Successful exploitation requires user interaction and can lead to session compromise, content manipulation, and lateral movement within the WordPress site.
Critical Impact
Stored XSS payloads persist across sessions and execute against every visitor rendering the affected content, enabling account takeover of higher-privileged WordPress users.
Affected Products
- Detheme DethemeKit For Elementor plugin for WordPress
- All versions from n/a through 2.1.8
- WordPress sites using the dethemekit-for-elementor plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-02-17 - CVE-2025-26772 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-26772
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) issue in the DethemeKit For Elementor plugin. The plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape user-supplied input before rendering it into web page output. As a result, script content submitted through affected plugin components is stored server-side and returned to browsers without adequate neutralization.
The scope of the flaw is changed because injected scripts execute in the context of any user viewing the compromised page. An attacker with contributor or author-level access can plant a payload that later executes in an administrator's session. This enables theft of authentication cookies, forced actions via the WordPress REST API, and defacement of rendered content.
User interaction is required for exploitation because a victim must load a page containing the stored payload. The vulnerability is network-accessible over standard HTTP or HTTPS traffic to the WordPress front end or admin area.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient output encoding in one or more DethemeKit For Elementor widgets or settings fields. Input accepted from authenticated users is written to page markup without applying WordPress escaping helpers such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses_post(). The plugin trusts input from low-privileged roles that should be treated as untrusted.
Attack Vector
An attacker authenticates to WordPress with a low-privileged account that has access to the vulnerable Elementor widget or setting. The attacker submits crafted content containing HTML or JavaScript payloads through the plugin's editing interface. The payload is stored in the WordPress database and later rendered into page output.
When an administrator or other user views a page containing the payload, the browser executes the injected script under the site origin. See the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report for additional technical detail.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-26772
Indicators of Compromise
- Presence of <script>, onerror=, onload=, or javascript: strings in wp_posts, wp_postmeta, or Elementor _elementor_data fields
- Unexpected outbound HTTP requests from administrator browsers to attacker-controlled domains after opening plugin-rendered pages
- Creation of new administrator accounts or role changes shortly after an authenticated low-privileged user edits DethemeKit widgets
- WordPress audit log entries showing contributor or author edits followed by administrator session activity from anomalous IP addresses
Detection Strategies
- Inventory WordPress installations and identify sites running dethemekit-for-elementor version 2.1.8 or earlier
- Scan post content and Elementor page data for HTML event handlers and script tags stored by non-administrator users
- Correlate web server logs with authentication events to identify suspicious low-privileged edits followed by administrator page views
- Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) reporting to surface inline script execution originating from plugin-rendered pages
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor wp-admin request patterns for authenticated users submitting encoded script payloads to plugin AJAX endpoints
- Alert on modifications to WordPress user roles, options, and administrator accounts following DethemeKit editing sessions
- Track browser telemetry from administrator workstations for unexpected script execution or credential-form injection
- Ingest WordPress audit logs into a centralized SIEM or data lake for correlation across authentication, editing, and session events
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-26772
Immediate Actions Required
- Update DethemeKit For Elementor to a version later than 2.1.8 as soon as the vendor publishes a fixed release
- Audit contributor, author, and editor accounts and remove any that are unused or unnecessary
- Review recent edits to Elementor pages and templates for stored script content and revert suspicious changes
- Force a password reset and session invalidation for administrator accounts if compromise is suspected
Patch Information
Refer to the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report for the current patched version and vendor guidance. Apply the update through the WordPress plugin manager and verify the installed version matches the fixed release.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the DethemeKit For Elementor plugin until a patched version can be installed and validated
- Restrict content editing capabilities to trusted administrator accounts by removing publishing rights from lower-privileged roles
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set that blocks script payloads submitted to WordPress editing endpoints
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts on the WordPress front end and admin area
# Example WordPress CLI commands to check plugin version and disable if needed
wp plugin get dethemekit-for-elementor --field=version
wp plugin deactivate dethemekit-for-elementor
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
