CVE-2025-46446: Libro de Reclamaciones XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-46446 Overview

CVE-2025-46446 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the WordPress plugin "Libro de Reclamaciones" developed by ivanrojas. This vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of input during web page generation, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that are persistently stored and executed when victims view the affected pages.

Critical Impact

Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the browsers of users who view affected pages, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, defacement, and malware distribution through the compromised WordPress site.

Affected Products

• Libro de Reclamaciones WordPress Plugin version 1.0.1 and earlier
• All WordPress installations running vulnerable versions of the libro-de-reclamaciones plugin

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-05-23 - CVE-2025-46446 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-46446

Vulnerability Analysis

This Stored XSS vulnerability (CWE-79) exists due to inadequate input sanitization and output encoding within the Libro de Reclamaciones plugin. Unlike reflected XSS attacks, stored XSS payloads are persisted in the application's database, making them particularly dangerous as they execute automatically whenever a user accesses the affected content without requiring direct interaction with a malicious link.

The vulnerability requires user interaction to trigger, meaning a victim must visit a page containing the stored malicious payload. Once triggered, the attacker's script executes within the security context of the vulnerable WordPress site, with full access to the Document Object Model (DOM) and session cookies.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input before storing it in the database, combined with inadequate output encoding when rendering that content back to users. The plugin does not implement proper escaping mechanisms for user-controlled data, allowing HTML and JavaScript injection.

WordPress provides several built-in sanitization and escaping functions such as sanitize_text_field(), esc_html(), and wp_kses() that should be used to prevent XSS attacks. The absence or improper use of these functions in the Libro de Reclamaciones plugin enables this vulnerability.

Attack Vector

This vulnerability is exploited over the network without requiring authentication. An attacker can submit malicious JavaScript code through the plugin's input fields—likely through the complaints/claims form functionality that the plugin provides. The payload is stored in the WordPress database and subsequently executed in the browsers of administrators or users who view the submitted content.

The attack flow typically involves:

1. Attacker identifies input fields that accept and store user data without proper sanitization
2. Malicious JavaScript payload is crafted and submitted through the vulnerable form
3. The payload is stored in the database without sanitization
4. When an administrator or user views the stored entry, the malicious script executes in their browser context
5. The attacker can then steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of the victim, or redirect users to malicious sites

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-46446

Indicators of Compromise

• Presence of suspicious JavaScript code in database entries related to the Libro de Reclamaciones plugin
• Unusual <script> tags, event handlers (onerror, onload, onclick), or encoded JavaScript in stored form submissions
• Reports from users about unexpected pop-ups, redirects, or browser behavior when viewing plugin content
• Web application firewall logs showing XSS patterns in POST requests to plugin endpoints

Detection Strategies

• Review database tables associated with the plugin for entries containing script tags, JavaScript event handlers, or encoded payloads
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to detect and block inline script execution attempts
• Deploy web application firewalls with XSS detection rules to identify and log malicious input attempts
• Monitor server logs for suspicious form submissions containing HTML or JavaScript syntax

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable WordPress activity logging to track form submissions and content changes within the plugin
• Configure alerting for database modifications to plugin-related tables with suspicious patterns
• Implement browser-based XSS auditing through CSP violation reporting
• Regularly audit stored content for signs of script injection

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-46446

Immediate Actions Required

• Immediately deactivate and remove the Libro de Reclamaciones plugin if not essential to business operations
• Audit existing database entries created by the plugin for malicious payloads and sanitize or remove compromised records
• Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with XSS filtering rules to provide additional protection
• Review WordPress administrator session logs for signs of compromise or unauthorized access

Patch Information

At the time of this advisory, no patched version has been identified. The vulnerability affects Libro de Reclamaciones version 1.0.1 and all prior versions. Users should monitor the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report for updates regarding a security fix from the plugin developer.

Workarounds

• Remove the vulnerable plugin entirely and seek an alternative solution for complaint management functionality
• If removal is not possible, restrict access to the plugin's administrative pages to trusted users only
• Implement strict Content Security Policy headers to prevent inline script execution
• Use a WordPress security plugin with XSS filtering capabilities to sanitize input and output

# Add Content Security Policy header to WordPress .htaccess
# This helps mitigate XSS by restricting inline script execution
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline'"