CVE-2025-3813 Overview
CVE-2025-3813 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Royal Elementor Addons and Templates plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.7.1020. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the _elementor_data parameter. Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher can inject arbitrary web scripts into pages. The injected scripts execute in the browser of any user who accesses the compromised page. The issue is tracked under CWE-79.
Critical Impact
Contributor-level accounts can inject persistent JavaScript that executes against site visitors and administrators, enabling session theft, forced actions, and account takeover pivots.
Affected Products
- Royal Elementor Addons and Templates plugin for WordPress
- All versions up to and including 1.7.1020
- Fixed in version 1.7.1021
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-05-31 - CVE-2025-3813 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-3813
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in the form submissions module of the Royal Elementor Addons plugin, specifically within classes/modules/forms/wpr-submissions-cpt.php. The plugin processes the _elementor_data parameter without applying sufficient sanitization on input or escaping on output. This allows an authenticated user to store crafted payloads that are later rendered in the browser context of anyone viewing the affected page.
Because the payload persists in the database, every subsequent page render replays the attacker-controlled script. The attack scope changes (S:C) because scripts executed under the WordPress origin can interact with administrative sessions viewing the page, extending impact beyond the attacker's own privilege level.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing sanitization on the _elementor_data field when the plugin reads submitted form data and later emits it back into rendered markup. WordPress ships helpers such as wp_kses_post(), sanitize_text_field(), and esc_html() for exactly this purpose. Their absence in the affected code paths in wpr-submissions-cpt.php (see WordPress Plugin Code Snippet and line 75) enables the stored injection.
Attack Vector
An attacker first authenticates to the WordPress site with a Contributor account or higher. The attacker then submits a payload containing HTML or JavaScript through the _elementor_data parameter of a plugin-managed form or editor request. The malicious content is written to the database. When any user, including administrators, opens the affected page, the browser parses and executes the injected script under the site's origin. This enables cookie theft, forced administrative actions via authenticated fetch requests, and drive-by redirects to attacker infrastructure.
No verified proof-of-concept has been published. See the Wordfence Vulnerability Analysis and the WordPress Plugin Code Review for the patched implementation.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-3813
Indicators of Compromise
- Post or page content containing unexpected <script>, <iframe>, or onerror/onload handlers introduced by non-administrator accounts.
- Database entries in wp_postmeta or plugin form submission tables where _elementor_data values contain HTML event handlers or encoded JavaScript.
- Contributor or Author accounts editing or submitting content outside their normal patterns immediately before a spike in outbound requests from visitor browsers.
Detection Strategies
- Scan wp_posts and plugin submission tables for _elementor_data values containing script tags, javascript: URIs, or base64-encoded payloads.
- Compare the installed plugin version against the fixed release 1.7.1021 using WordPress inventory tooling or wp plugin list.
- Review web server logs for POST requests to admin-ajax.php or Elementor endpoints from low-privilege accounts carrying oversized _elementor_data payloads.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on new or modified Contributor/Author accounts and on privilege changes in WordPress.
- Monitor Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for inline script executions on pages managed by the plugin.
- Track outbound requests from browsers to unknown domains originating from WordPress pages, which can indicate exfiltration by injected scripts.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-3813
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the Royal Elementor Addons and Templates plugin to version 1.7.1021 or later on every WordPress site where it is installed.
- Audit all Contributor, Author, and Editor accounts and disable any that are unused or unrecognized.
- Review recently created or modified posts and form submissions for injected HTML or JavaScript and remove malicious content.
- Rotate administrator credentials and invalidate active sessions if injected scripts may have executed against admin users.
Patch Information
The vendor addressed the vulnerability in Royal Elementor Addons and Templates 1.7.1021. The patched code in classes/modules/forms/wpr-submissions-cpt.php adds proper sanitization and escaping around the _elementor_data handling. See the patched source for the exact changes.
Workarounds
- Restrict content submission privileges by removing Contributor and Author capabilities from untrusted users until the plugin is updated.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that blocks HTML tags and JavaScript event handlers in the _elementor_data request parameter.
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts on pages rendered by the plugin.
# Update the plugin via WP-CLI on affected WordPress hosts
wp plugin update royal-elementor-addons --version=1.7.1021
wp plugin list --name=royal-elementor-addons --fields=name,status,version
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
