CVE-2025-26887: EZ SQL Reports Stored XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-26887 Overview

CVE-2025-26887 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Eli EZ SQL Reports Shortcode Widget and DB Backup plugin (elisqlreports) for WordPress. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, classified as [CWE-79]. All plugin versions up to and including 5.21.35 are affected. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can inject malicious script content that executes in the browsers of users who view the affected page. The vulnerability requires user interaction and can cross security boundaries due to a scope change in the CVSS vector.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in administrator or visitor browsers, enabling session theft, unauthorized actions, and further compromise of the WordPress site.

Affected Products

Eli EZ SQL Reports Shortcode Widget and DB Backup plugin (elisqlreports) for WordPress
All versions from initial release through 5.21.35
WordPress sites running the vulnerable plugin with contributor or higher accounts

Discovery Timeline

2025-02-25 - CVE-2025-26887 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-26887

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a stored XSS flaw in the elisqlreports WordPress plugin. Stored XSS occurs when an application accepts untrusted input, saves it to persistent storage, and later renders it in an HTML response without sufficient encoding or sanitization. In this case, the plugin fails to neutralize special characters in input fields that feed into its shortcode, widget, or report generation features.

Because the payload persists in the database, every user who loads the affected page triggers execution. The attack executes in the victim's browser context under the site origin. This allows the attacker to read cookies not marked HttpOnly, exfiltrate session tokens, perform actions on behalf of the victim, or pivot to administrative account takeover.

The scope change in the CVSS vector indicates the injected script can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component itself, such as the WordPress admin dashboard or other rendered pages.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient output encoding when rendering user-controlled input in HTML contexts. The plugin does not apply WordPress sanitization functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses() to values before echoing them into the DOM. Any HTML or JavaScript submitted through the vulnerable input field is stored verbatim and later served as executable markup.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the WordPress site and an authenticated account with permission to submit content through the affected plugin interface. The attacker submits a crafted payload containing script tags or event-handler attributes. When an administrator or another user visits the page rendering the payload, the script executes with the privileges of that user's session. Full technical details are available in the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-26887

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected <script> tags, javascript: URIs, or event handlers such as onerror= and onload= stored in wp_posts, wp_postmeta, or plugin-specific tables
Outbound requests from administrator browsers to attacker-controlled domains shortly after loading plugin-generated pages
New or modified WordPress administrator accounts created without a corresponding legitimate audit trail
Web server logs showing POST requests to plugin endpoints containing encoded HTML or JavaScript payloads

Detection Strategies

Inventory all WordPress installations and identify sites running elisqlreports version 5.21.35 or earlier
Query the WordPress database for plugin-managed fields containing <script, onerror=, onload=, or javascript: substrings
Deploy a web application firewall rule that inspects POST bodies to plugin endpoints for HTML-tagged payloads
Correlate authenticated user activity with subsequent anomalous admin actions using SIEM analytics

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging to capture content submissions, user role changes, and plugin configuration edits
Forward web server access logs and WordPress activity logs to a centralized SIEM for retention and analysis
Alert on Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports referencing inline script execution on plugin-generated pages
Monitor for privilege escalation events and unexpected session activity on administrator accounts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-26887

Immediate Actions Required

Identify WordPress sites running elisqlreports version 5.21.35 or earlier and prioritize remediation
Restrict access to plugin submission features to trusted, audited accounts only
Review plugin-generated content for existing malicious payloads and remove them from the database
Rotate WordPress administrator credentials and invalidate active sessions if compromise is suspected

Patch Information

At the time of NVD publication, no fixed version is listed in the CVE record. Consult the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report for the latest patch status. If no vendor patch is available, deactivate and remove the plugin until a fixed release is confirmed.

Workarounds

Deactivate the elisqlreports plugin until a patched version is released
Deploy a Content Security Policy (CSP) that disallows inline scripts on WordPress pages
Place the WordPress site behind a web application firewall with signatures for stored XSS payloads
Reduce the number of accounts holding roles that can submit content through the vulnerable plugin interface

bash

# Example: disable the vulnerable plugin using WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate elisqlreports
wp plugin delete elisqlreports

# Example: search the database for stored script payloads
wp db query "SELECT ID, post_title FROM wp_posts WHERE post_content LIKE '%<script%' OR post_content LIKE '%onerror=%';"