CVE-2025-49389 Overview
CVE-2025-49389 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the WEN Solutions Notice Bar plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 3.1.3. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can inject malicious scripts that persist in the plugin's stored content. When administrators or site visitors load the affected pages, the injected payload executes in their browser context.
The vulnerability is tracked under [CWE-79], Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation. It was published to the National Vulnerability Database on August 20, 2025.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can inject persistent JavaScript that executes in the browsers of other users, enabling session hijacking, credential theft, and administrative account takeover.
Affected Products
- WEN Solutions Notice Bar plugin for WordPress
- All versions from initial release through 3.1.3
- WordPress sites with the Notice Bar plugin activated
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-08-20 - CVE-2025-49389 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-49389
Vulnerability Analysis
The Notice Bar plugin fails to sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it within notice bar content on WordPress pages. An attacker with contributor-level or higher privileges can submit crafted input containing HTML or JavaScript payloads. The plugin stores the input in the database and reflects it back to visitors without proper output encoding.
Because the payload is stored, execution occurs every time a user loads a page containing the notice bar. The attack requires user interaction, and the impact crosses a security scope boundary from the low-privileged attacker to any visitor of the affected page. The Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) currently rates the probability of near-term exploitation as low.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient input neutralization when handling notice bar configuration fields. The plugin does not apply WordPress sanitization functions such as wp_kses_post(), esc_html(), or esc_attr() before persisting or rendering input. This allows raw HTML and <script> tags to survive into the DOM.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires network access, low privileges, and user interaction. An attacker authenticates to the WordPress site with an account permitted to edit notice bar settings. The attacker submits a payload such as an inline script or event handler through the vulnerable plugin field. When another user, typically an administrator, visits a page rendering the notice bar, the browser executes the stored JavaScript in the site's origin.
Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for further technical detail on the affected input handling paths.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49389
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script> tags, onerror, or onload attributes present in notice bar configuration records in the WordPress database.
- Outbound requests from administrator browser sessions to unfamiliar domains shortly after loading pages with the notice bar rendered.
- New or modified WordPress administrator accounts created without a corresponding legitimate action in audit logs.
- Unexpected changes to plugin settings by low-privileged contributor or editor accounts.
Detection Strategies
- Query the wp_options and plugin-specific tables for notice bar entries containing HTML event handlers or <script> fragments.
- Deploy a Content Security Policy (CSP) report-only header to surface inline script execution originating from plugin output.
- Review WordPress access logs for POST requests to Notice Bar admin endpoints from unusual accounts or IP addresses.
- Correlate low-privileged user activity with subsequent administrator session anomalies using SIEM analytics.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward WordPress audit logs and web server access logs to a centralized platform for behavioral analysis.
- Alert on modifications to plugin configuration tables outside of scheduled change windows.
- Monitor endpoint browser telemetry on administrator workstations for anomalous script execution and outbound connections after CMS access.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49389
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate the WEN Solutions Notice Bar plugin on any WordPress site running version 3.1.3 or earlier until a patched release is confirmed.
- Audit all notice bar configuration entries for injected HTML or JavaScript and remove any suspicious content.
- Rotate credentials for administrator accounts that may have accessed affected pages during the exposure window.
- Review contributor, author, and editor accounts and remove any that are unnecessary or unrecognized.
Patch Information
At the time of NVD publication, the advisory lists all versions through 3.1.3 as affected. Monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory and the vendor's plugin page for a fixed release, and apply updates as soon as they become available.
Workarounds
- Restrict access to notice bar configuration endpoints to trusted administrators only using role management plugins.
- Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule to block HTML and script payloads submitted to Notice Bar admin endpoints.
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts on pages where the notice bar is rendered.
- Replace the plugin with an actively maintained alternative if a patch is not released in a timely fashion.
# Example WordPress CLI command to deactivate the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate notice-bar --all-network
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
