CVE-2025-50013 Overview
CVE-2025-50013 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Jason Judge CSV Importer Improved plugin for WordPress. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation [CWE-79]. All versions of the csv-importer-improved plugin up to and including 0.6.1 are affected. An authenticated attacker with high privileges can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in the browsers of users who view the compromised pages. The scope change reflected in the CVSS metrics indicates the injected script can affect components beyond the vulnerable plugin itself.
Critical Impact
A high-privileged authenticated attacker can store malicious JavaScript that executes in visitor and administrator browsers, enabling session theft and administrative action on behalf of victims.
Affected Products
- Jason Judge CSV Importer Improved (csv-importer-improved) WordPress plugin
- All versions from n/a through 0.6.1
- WordPress sites running the plugin with authenticated user access
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-06-20 - CVE-2025-50013 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-50013
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a stored XSS flaw in the CSV Importer Improved plugin. The plugin fails to sanitize or encode input that is later rendered in the WordPress web interface. Because the payload is persisted, it executes automatically whenever a user loads the affected page.
Exploitation requires an authenticated session with high privileges and some form of user interaction to trigger the payload. The scope change component indicates the injected script can reach resources outside the plugin's own security context, such as the WordPress administrative interface. Confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts are each limited but present.
Root Cause
The plugin does not apply proper output encoding or input sanitization functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses() when handling user-controlled CSV-related input rendered back into the WordPress admin or front-end pages. This allows raw HTML and JavaScript to be stored and later served to browsers.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based. An authenticated attacker with elevated privileges submits crafted input containing HTML or JavaScript through the plugin's import or configuration interfaces. The payload is stored in the WordPress database. When another user, including administrators, visits the page rendering that data, the browser executes the malicious script. This can be leveraged to hijack sessions, perform CSRF-like actions in the victim's context, or pivot to other administrative functions.
A proof-of-concept is not publicly available. See the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Advisory for technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-50013
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script> tags, onerror, onload, or javascript: URIs stored in WordPress database tables associated with the plugin
- Outbound requests from browser sessions of WordPress administrators to unfamiliar domains after visiting plugin-managed pages
- New or modified administrator accounts created shortly after an authenticated user interacted with the plugin
Detection Strategies
- Audit plugin-related database records for HTML or JavaScript payloads using pattern matching on suspicious tokens such as <script, onerror=, and document.cookie
- Review WordPress access logs for POST requests to the CSV Importer Improved endpoints from high-privileged accounts
- Inspect browser Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for script execution originating from WordPress admin URLs
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress activity logging to track plugin configuration and CSV import actions performed by privileged users
- Monitor for anomalous administrator session activity such as new authentication tokens or privilege changes following a plugin interaction
- Alert on modifications to the csv-importer-improved plugin files and its database entries outside of scheduled maintenance windows
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-50013
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress installations running the CSV Importer Improved plugin at version 0.6.1 or earlier
- Restrict access to plugin functionality to a minimal set of trusted administrators until a fix is applied
- Review recent CSV imports and plugin configuration entries for injected script content and remove affected records
Patch Information
At the time of publication, no fixed version has been listed in the NVD entry or the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Advisory. Monitor the plugin's official channels for a release that supersedes 0.6.1 and apply it promptly.
Workarounds
- Deactivate and remove the CSV Importer Improved plugin until a patched version is released
- Enforce a strict Content Security Policy on WordPress admin pages to limit inline script execution
- Reduce the number of accounts with high privileges to shrink the pool of users capable of exploiting the flaw
# Disable the vulnerable plugin using WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate csv-importer-improved
wp plugin delete csv-importer-improved
# Verify no residual plugin data remains
wp db query "SELECT option_name FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE '%csv_importer%';"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
