CVE-2025-5700: Simple Logo Carousel Plugin XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-5700 Overview

CVE-2025-5700 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability [CWE-79] in the Simple Logo Carousel plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.9.3. It stems from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on the id parameter of the plugin's shortcode handler.

Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or above can inject arbitrary JavaScript into pages. The payload executes in the browser of any user who views an affected page, enabling session theft, redirection, or administrative action abuse.

Critical Impact
Authenticated contributors can persist JavaScript that executes in the context of site visitors and administrators, enabling account takeover of higher-privileged users.

Affected Products

Simple Logo Carousel plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 1.9.3
WordPress sites that permit Contributor-level or higher registrations
Multi-author WordPress deployments using the affected plugin

Discovery Timeline

2025-06-17 - CVE-2025-5700 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-5700

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the carousel_shortcode() function inside includes/Base/Shortcode.php. The function processes shortcode attributes using WordPress's shortcode_atts() helper but does not validate the id parameter as an integer. The raw attribute value flows into downstream output without escaping.

Because the plugin's shortcode is available to any user who can create posts, a Contributor can craft a post containing the carousel shortcode with a malicious id attribute. When an editor previews or a visitor loads the post, the injected script executes in the browser session.

The scope-changed nature of the issue means the injected script runs in the security context of the WordPress site, allowing an attacker to reach administrative functionality via a higher-privileged victim.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing type coercion and sanitization on the id shortcode attribute. The pre-patch code used PHP's extract() on user-supplied shortcode attributes, exposing the raw string to later output paths without calling absint(), esc_attr(), or esc_html().

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires authenticated access with Contributor privileges or higher. An attacker embeds the plugin's shortcode with a crafted id attribute in a draft post. When any user with sufficient privileges previews or publishes the content, the JavaScript payload executes in their browser session.

php

// Patch from includes/Base/Shortcode.php
     function carousel_shortcode($atts = [])
     {
         // define attributes and their defaults
-        extract(shortcode_atts(array(
-            'id' => ''
-        ), $atts));
+        $atts = shortcode_atts(array(
+        'id' => ''
+        ), $atts);
+
+        $id = isset($atts['id']) ? absint($atts['id']) : false;
+        

         // if not id is found
-        if (empty($id)) {
+        if (!$id) {
             return '<p>Please make sure your carousel shortcode contains an ID.</p>';
         } else {
             // enqueue our scripts

Source: GitHub Commit d995b5d. The fix replaces extract() with explicit variable assignment and forces the id value through absint(), guaranteeing an integer and eliminating the injection surface.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-5700

Indicators of Compromise

Posts or pages containing the Simple Logo Carousel shortcode with non-numeric or script-like content in the id attribute
Unexpected <script>, onerror, or onload HTML fragments rendered inside carousel markup
New administrator accounts or role changes shortly after a Contributor account submitted content containing the shortcode
Outbound requests from admin browsers to unfamiliar domains after previewing contributor posts

Detection Strategies

Audit the wp_posts table for shortcode instances referencing the plugin and inspect the id attribute for non-integer values
Enable and review WordPress activity logs to correlate Contributor post creation with subsequent admin session activity
Deploy a Content Security Policy (CSP) in report-only mode to surface inline script violations originating from post content

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor plugin versions site-wide and alert when Simple Logo Carousel remains at 1.9.3 or earlier
Alert on privilege escalation events, particularly Contributor-to-Administrator role changes
Track failed and successful logins from Contributor accounts for anomalous geographies or user agents

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-5700

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Simple Logo Carousel plugin to the version released in WordPress changeset 3312693, which supersedes 1.9.3
Audit existing posts and pages for the plugin's shortcode with suspicious id attributes and remove malicious content
Review and, where possible, temporarily downgrade Contributor accounts pending investigation

Patch Information

The vendor patched the vulnerability in the commit tracked at GitHub Commit d995b5d and published via WordPress changeset 3312693. The fix casts the id shortcode attribute through absint(), ensuring only positive integers are accepted. Details are also documented in the Wordfence vulnerability report.

Workarounds

Deactivate the Simple Logo Carousel plugin until the update is applied
Restrict post creation privileges by removing or limiting Contributor-level accounts on production sites
Implement a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline script execution on rendered post pages
Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block requests containing shortcode payloads with non-numeric id attributes

bash

# WP-CLI: identify vulnerable installations and update
wp plugin get simple-logo-carousel --field=version
wp plugin update simple-logo-carousel

# Search post content for suspicious shortcode usage
wp db query "SELECT ID, post_title FROM wp_posts \
  WHERE post_content LIKE '%[simple-logo-carousel%' \
  AND post_content REGEXP 'id=\"[^0-9\"]';"