CVE-2025-31450 Overview
CVE-2025-31450 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the phantom.omaga Toggle Box plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of Toggle Box up to and including version 1.6. Improper neutralization of input during web page generation [CWE-79] allows an authenticated attacker to inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in the browsers of users who view the affected pages.
Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker with low privileges can store malicious scripts that execute in other users' browsers, potentially leading to session compromise, content manipulation, or redirection to attacker-controlled infrastructure.
Affected Products
- WordPress Toggle Box plugin (toggle-box) by phantom.omaga
- All versions from initial release through 1.6
- WordPress sites with the Toggle Box plugin installed and activated
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-03-28 - CVE-2025-31450 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-31450
Vulnerability Analysis
The Toggle Box plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape user-supplied input before rendering it within generated web pages. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-79], improper neutralization of input during web page generation. Because the injected payload persists in the WordPress database, every visitor who loads the affected page triggers the script in their browser session.
Exploitation requires authentication with low privileges and some form of user interaction, according to the vector metadata. The scope is marked as changed, which indicates that a successful attack can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component itself. In practice, an attacker with contributor-level or comparable access can inject scripts that execute in the context of administrators viewing plugin-generated content.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient output encoding in the Toggle Box rendering path. Content supplied through the plugin's toggle configuration fields is written into page markup without escaping HTML control characters. WordPress functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), and wp_kses_post() are not consistently applied to attacker-controlled fields.
Attack Vector
An authenticated user creates or edits a Toggle Box element and inserts JavaScript within a field that is later reflected into published pages. When another user, including an administrator, browses to a page or admin screen containing the toggle, the browser executes the stored payload. Consequences include theft of session cookies, forced administrative actions through the REST API, and injection of secondary payloads that pivot to browser-based malware delivery.
No public proof-of-concept exploit code is available. Additional technical detail is documented in the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31450
Indicators of Compromise
- Toggle Box post meta or plugin option values containing <script>, onerror=, onload=, or javascript: sequences
- Unexpected outbound requests from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains shortly after loading pages containing Toggle Box content
- New or modified WordPress administrator accounts created without a corresponding audit trail
- Injected <iframe> or <img> tags in Toggle Box content that reference external hosts
Detection Strategies
- Audit the wp_postmeta and wp_options tables for Toggle Box entries containing HTML event handlers or script tags
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that inspects POST requests to wp-admin/post.php and admin-ajax.php for script payloads targeting Toggle Box parameters
- Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) reporting to capture violations produced when injected scripts attempt to execute
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on privilege changes to WordPress user accounts, particularly promotions to administrator
- Monitor WordPress access logs for repeated edits to Toggle Box content by low-privileged accounts
- Track browser telemetry from workstations used by site administrators for anomalous script execution on WordPress admin pages
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31450
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress installations with the Toggle Box plugin at version 1.6 or earlier
- Deactivate and remove the Toggle Box plugin until a patched release is confirmed by the vendor
- Review existing Toggle Box content for stored payloads and remove any suspicious entries
- Rotate credentials and force re-authentication for administrator accounts that may have loaded affected pages
Patch Information
No fixed version has been published in the referenced advisory at the time of NVD entry. Consult the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for the current patch status and apply any vendor-provided update as soon as it becomes available.
Workarounds
- Restrict Toggle Box editing capabilities to trusted administrators through role management
- Deploy a virtual patch through a WordPress-aware WAF such as Patchstack or Wordfence to block XSS payloads targeting the plugin
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts on WordPress front-end and admin pages
- Replace the plugin with an actively maintained alternative that provides equivalent toggle or accordion functionality
# Configuration example: disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate toggle-box
wp plugin delete toggle-box
# Verify removal
wp plugin list --status=active | grep -i toggle-box
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.