CVE-2025-47482: SKT Skill Bar Stored XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-47482 Overview

CVE-2025-47482 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the SKT Skill Bar WordPress plugin developed by sonalsinha21. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, tracked as [CWE-79]. All plugin versions up to and including 2.4 are affected. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can inject malicious scripts that persist in the database and execute in the browsers of other users viewing the affected pages. The issue was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) on May 7, 2025.

Critical Impact
Authenticated contributors can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in visitor and administrator browsers, enabling session theft, credential harvesting, and administrative account takeover.

Affected Products

SKT Skill Bar plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 2.4
WordPress sites running the skt-skill-bar plugin by sonalsinha21
Any WordPress installation where low-privileged authors or contributors can save plugin-controlled content

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-07 - CVE-2025-47482 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-47482

Vulnerability Analysis

The SKT Skill Bar plugin allows administrators and lower-privileged users to configure skill bar widgets containing user-controlled attributes such as labels and titles. The plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape these inputs before rendering them into the HTML response. As a result, an attacker with editor or contributor privileges can inject JavaScript payloads through the plugin's input fields.

Because the payload is stored server-side, it executes each time a victim renders the affected page. This is classified as Stored XSS, which is more impactful than reflected variants because it does not require social engineering to deliver the payload. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of user sessions.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of proper output escaping when rendering plugin data. WordPress provides escaping helpers such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), and wp_kses_post() that must be applied to any user-supplied value before it is emitted into HTML context. The SKT Skill Bar plugin through version 2.4 does not consistently apply these functions to attributes controllable via the plugin's admin interface.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network access to the WordPress site, low-level authenticated access, and user interaction from a victim who visits the affected page. An attacker with contributor or editor privileges submits a payload containing script tags or event handlers through the plugin's configuration fields. The payload is stored and then rendered without escaping when any user views the associated post or page. Because the scope changes (S:C), scripts execute in the context of the parent WordPress site and can act on behalf of higher-privileged administrators.

See the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report for additional technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47482

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected <script> tags, javascript: URIs, or event handler attributes (onerror, onload, onmouseover) in wp_postmeta or wp_options rows related to skt-skill-bar.
Outbound HTTP requests from browser sessions to attacker-controlled domains immediately after loading pages containing skill bar widgets.
New WordPress administrator accounts or modified user roles created shortly after a low-privileged user edited plugin content.

Detection Strategies

Audit database rows associated with the SKT Skill Bar plugin for HTML control characters and script fragments.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that inspects POST requests to wp-admin/admin.php and wp-admin/post.php for script payloads targeting plugin fields.
Enforce a strict Content Security Policy (CSP) that blocks inline scripts and reports violations to a monitored endpoint.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor authentication logs for privilege escalations or new admin account creation following contributor activity.
Track WordPress plugin inventory to identify sites still running skt-skill-bar version 2.4 or earlier.
Review browser CSP violation reports for scripts sourced from unexpected origins on pages hosting skill bar widgets.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47482

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress installations running the SKT Skill Bar plugin and inventory the installed version.
Restrict contributor, author, and editor role assignments to trusted users until a patched release is applied.
Review existing skill bar configurations for embedded script content and remove any unauthorized entries.

Patch Information

At the time of NVD publication, the advisory lists all versions through 2.4 as vulnerable and does not name a fixed release. Administrators should consult the Patchstack advisory and the WordPress plugin repository for the latest version and apply updates as soon as a patched build becomes available.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the SKT Skill Bar plugin until a patched version is released.
Deploy a virtual patch through a WAF that blocks HTML and JavaScript metacharacters in plugin input fields.
Apply a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts to reduce the blast radius of stored payloads.

bash

# Configuration example: disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate skt-skill-bar
wp plugin delete skt-skill-bar