CVE-2025-57681: WorklogPRO for Jira XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-57681 Overview

A stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been identified in the WorklogPRO - Timesheets for Jira plugin for Jira Data Center. This vulnerability allows users and attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code through a specially crafted payload placed in an issue's summary field. The malicious script is then executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected issue, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions within the Jira environment.

Critical Impact

Attackers can execute malicious JavaScript in the browsers of authenticated Jira users, potentially compromising session tokens, performing actions on behalf of victims, or stealing sensitive project data.

Affected Products

• WorklogPRO - Timesheets for Jira plugin versions before 4.23.6-jira10 (Jira Data Center 10.x)
• WorklogPRO - Timesheets for Jira plugin versions before 4.23.5-jira9 (Jira Data Center 9.x)
• Jira Data Center installations using vulnerable WorklogPRO plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-21 - CVE CVE-2025-57681 published to NVD
• 2026-01-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-57681

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation), commonly known as Cross-Site Scripting. The WorklogPRO plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input in the issue summary field before rendering it in the browser. When a malicious user crafts an issue summary containing JavaScript code, the plugin renders this content without adequate encoding or escaping, causing the script to execute in the context of any user viewing the affected content.

The stored nature of this XSS vulnerability makes it particularly dangerous, as the malicious payload persists in the database and executes every time a user accesses the affected issue. This is in contrast to reflected XSS, which requires the victim to click a malicious link. The network-based attack vector with no required privileges means attackers with basic Jira access can exploit this vulnerability to target other users, including administrators.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient input validation and output encoding in the WorklogPRO plugin's handling of issue summary fields. The plugin accepts user input containing HTML and JavaScript content and renders it directly in the DOM without proper sanitization. This failure to implement content security controls such as HTML entity encoding, JavaScript escaping, or Content Security Policy (CSP) headers allows arbitrary script execution in the victim's browser context.

Attack Vector

The attack is executed over the network and requires user interaction—specifically, a victim must view a Jira issue containing the malicious payload. An attacker with access to create or modify Jira issues can inject a crafted payload into an issue's summary field. When other users navigate to this issue through the WorklogPRO interface, their browsers execute the injected script with their authenticated session context.

Exploitation typically follows this pattern: the attacker creates or edits a Jira issue, embedding malicious JavaScript within the summary field. The WorklogPRO plugin processes this field and displays it without proper encoding. When a victim user views the issue through the plugin's timesheet functionality, the browser parses the unsanitized HTML, executing the embedded script. This can result in session token exfiltration, keylogging, phishing overlay injection, or automated actions performed under the victim's identity.

For detailed technical information about this vulnerability, refer to the Atlassian Security Advisory for CVE-2025-57681.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-57681

Indicators of Compromise

• Jira issue summaries containing suspicious HTML tags such as <script>, <img onerror>, <svg onload>, or other event handlers
• Unexpected outbound network requests from user browsers to external domains when viewing Jira issues
• User reports of unusual behavior, pop-ups, or redirects when accessing timesheet views
• Audit logs showing creation or modification of issues with encoded or obfuscated content in summary fields

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block requests containing common XSS payloads targeting Jira instances
• Monitor Jira access logs for patterns indicating automated exploitation attempts or unusual issue creation activity
• Deploy browser-based security tools capable of detecting DOM manipulation and unauthorized script execution
• Conduct regular security scans of Jira issue content for potential stored XSS payloads

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed audit logging in Jira Data Center to track issue creation and modification events
• Configure alerting for any Jira issues with summary fields exceeding normal length or containing suspicious character patterns
• Monitor network traffic from Jira users for unexpected connections to external domains
• Implement Content Security Policy reporting to detect script execution violations

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-57681

Immediate Actions Required

• Update WorklogPRO - Timesheets for Jira plugin to version 4.23.6-jira10 or later for Jira Data Center 10.x environments
• Update WorklogPRO - Timesheets for Jira plugin to version 4.23.5-jira9 or later for Jira Data Center 9.x environments
• Review existing Jira issues for potentially malicious content in summary fields
• Audit user access permissions to restrict issue creation to trusted users where possible

Patch Information

The vendor has released patched versions that address this XSS vulnerability. Organizations should upgrade to the following versions based on their Jira Data Center installation:

• Jira Data Center 10.x: Update to WorklogPRO version 4.23.6-jira10 or later
• Jira Data Center 9.x: Update to WorklogPRO version 4.23.5-jira9 or later

Version history and download links are available at the Atlassian Marketplace Version History page.

Workarounds

• Implement Content Security Policy headers at the reverse proxy or load balancer level to restrict inline script execution
• Temporarily disable the WorklogPRO plugin until patching can be completed if the risk is deemed unacceptable
• Restrict Jira issue creation and editing permissions to reduce the attack surface
• Deploy a WAF with XSS detection rules in front of Jira Data Center instances

# Example: Add CSP headers via Apache reverse proxy
# Add to VirtualHost configuration for Jira
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline'"