CVE-2025-31749: HMH Footer Builder XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-31749 Overview

CVE-2025-31749 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the WPelite HMH Footer Builder For Elementor WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions of hmh-footer-builder-for-elementor through 1.0. Authenticated attackers with low privileges can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in the browsers of site visitors and administrators. The issue is classified under CWE-79, Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation.

Critical Impact
Stored XSS payloads execute in the context of any user viewing the affected footer, enabling session theft, administrative account takeover, and site defacement.

Affected Products

WPelite HMH Footer Builder For Elementor plugin for WordPress
All plugin versions up to and including 1.0
WordPress sites using Elementor with this footer builder extension

Discovery Timeline

2025-04-01 - CVE-2025-31749 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-31749

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input rendered inside footer components generated by the plugin. The plugin fails to sanitize or encode input before writing it into the HTML response. As a result, malicious script content persists in the database and executes whenever the affected page is rendered.

Exploitation requires an authenticated user with permission to configure footer content. The attack changes scope, meaning script execution reaches users beyond the attacker's authorization boundary. Victims include site visitors and administrators who load pages containing the poisoned footer.

Because the script executes in the browser under the site's origin, an attacker can read session cookies not protected by HttpOnly, submit privileged requests using the victim's session, and modify DOM content displayed to other users. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for additional technical context.

Root Cause

The plugin writes attacker-controlled values into HTML output without applying WordPress escaping functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses_post(). Input flows from the plugin's configuration interface into the database and then into rendered pages unchanged.

Attack Vector

An authenticated contributor-level or higher user submits a footer configuration containing a JavaScript payload inside a text or HTML field. The payload is stored persistently. When another user loads a page rendering the footer, the browser parses and executes the injected script under the site's origin. User interaction is required, satisfying the UI:R condition in the CVSS vector.

No verified public exploit code is available for this CVE at the time of writing.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-31749

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected <script> tags, event handlers such as onerror or onload, or javascript: URIs stored in footer configuration options within the wp_options or wp_postmeta tables
Outbound browser requests from site pages to unfamiliar third-party domains referenced from footer content
New or modified WordPress administrator accounts created shortly after a footer configuration change

Detection Strategies

Query the WordPress database for plugin-owned option rows containing HTML event handler patterns or <script substrings
Review plugin audit logs and user_meta records for footer edits performed by non-administrative accounts
Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) reporting to surface unauthorized inline script execution on pages that include the footer

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on modifications to footer builder settings performed by contributor, author, or editor roles
Monitor WordPress access logs for anomalous POST requests to plugin AJAX endpoints under admin-ajax.php
Track browser-side CSP violation reports for the site origin to identify active XSS payloads

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-31749

Immediate Actions Required

Deactivate and remove the HMH Footer Builder For Elementor plugin until a patched version is confirmed available
Audit all existing footer configurations and remove any entries containing script tags, event handlers, or encoded JavaScript
Rotate WordPress administrator credentials and invalidate active sessions if suspicious footer edits are found

Patch Information

No fixed version is listed in the advisory. The vulnerability affects all releases through 1.0. Monitor the Patchstack advisory and the WordPress plugin repository for an official update from WPelite.

Workarounds

Restrict footer configuration capabilities to trusted administrator accounts only
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule set that blocks script tags and event handler attributes submitted to plugin endpoints
Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins

bash

# Example CSP header enforced at the web server layer
add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; base-uri 'self';" always;