CVE-2025-47477: WP Time Capsule Reflected XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-47477 Overview

CVE-2025-47477 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule (wp-time-capsule) WordPress plugin developed by revmakx. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation [CWE-79]. All plugin versions up to and including 1.22.23 are affected. An unauthenticated attacker can craft a malicious URL that, when clicked by a victim, executes arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser within the context of the vulnerable WordPress site.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary script in a victim's browser session, potentially leading to session theft, credential harvesting, or administrative account takeover on WordPress sites running the plugin.

Affected Products

• revmakx Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule (wp-time-capsule) plugin for WordPress
• All versions from initial release through 1.22.23
• WordPress installations with the plugin installed and active

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-09 - CVE-2025-47477 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-47477

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a reflected XSS issue classified under [CWE-79], Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation. The plugin fails to sanitize or encode user-controlled parameters before reflecting them into HTTP response output. Because the issue is reflected rather than stored, exploitation requires user interaction, typically by tricking an authenticated WordPress user into clicking a crafted link.

The CVSS vector indicates a scope change, meaning the injected script executes in a security context different from the vulnerable component. This is consistent with browser-rendered script running against the WordPress administrative interface or front-end pages served by the plugin. The EPSS probability is 0.185% (percentile 39.95), reflecting low observed exploitation activity at this time.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing output encoding or input sanitization in one or more request handlers within the wp-time-capsule plugin. User-supplied data taken from HTTP request parameters is rendered directly into HTML output without escaping characters such as <, >, ", and '. This allows attacker-controlled markup and <script> payloads to be interpreted as code by the victim's browser.

Attack Vector

An attacker constructs a URL containing a JavaScript payload in a vulnerable parameter handled by the plugin. The attacker then delivers this URL to a target user through phishing, a malicious link on another site, or social engineering. When the victim loads the URL while authenticated to the WordPress site, the payload executes in the victim's browser. Captured outcomes can include session cookie theft, forced administrative actions via CSRF chaining, or redirection to malicious infrastructure. See the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability advisory for additional technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47477

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to wp-time-capsule plugin endpoints containing URL-encoded <script> tags, javascript: URIs, or HTML event handlers such as onerror= and onload=
• Referer headers pointing to external domains immediately preceding administrative actions on /wp-admin/
• Unexpected outbound requests from administrator browsers to attacker-controlled hosts shortly after clicking external links

Detection Strategies

• Inspect web server access logs for query strings targeting plugin parameters that include angle brackets, encoded script tags, or unusual character sequences
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that flags requests to /wp-content/plugins/wp-time-capsule/ containing reflected XSS payload patterns
• Correlate browser-side Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports with requests touching the vulnerable plugin paths

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor WordPress administrator session activity for anomalous account changes, plugin installs, or user creations following email or chat link clicks
• Alert on creation of new administrator accounts or modifications to existing privileged users in the wp_users table
• Track plugin version inventory across WordPress installations to identify hosts still running wp-time-capsule<= 1.22.23

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47477

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Backup and Staging by WP Time Capsule to a version newer than 1.22.23 as soon as the vendor releases a patched build
• If no patch is available, deactivate and remove the wp-time-capsule plugin from affected WordPress sites
• Force re-authentication for all administrator and editor accounts and rotate session secrets defined in wp-config.php

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability advisory for the latest fixed version information and remediation guidance from the maintainer. Apply updates through the WordPress plugin management console or via WP-CLI.

Workarounds

• Place the WordPress site behind a Web Application Firewall configured to block reflected XSS payloads targeting wp-time-capsule endpoints
• Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins
• Train administrators to avoid clicking unsolicited links to WordPress administrative URLs and verify the integrity of any received plugin links

# Update the plugin using WP-CLI once a fixed release is available
wp plugin update wp-time-capsule

# Or deactivate and remove the plugin until a patch is published
wp plugin deactivate wp-time-capsule
wp plugin delete wp-time-capsule