CVE-2025-58857: Table of Content Plugin XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-58857 Overview

CVE-2025-58857 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the KaizenCoders Table of Content WordPress plugin (content-table). The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.5.3.1. The plugin fails to properly neutralize user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing attackers to inject persistent JavaScript payloads. Stored XSS payloads execute in the browser of any visitor who renders the affected page, enabling session theft, credential harvesting, and unauthorized actions in the WordPress administrative context. The issue is classified under CWE-79.

Critical Impact

Attackers can persist malicious scripts within plugin-generated content, executing arbitrary JavaScript in the browsers of authenticated administrators and site visitors.

Affected Products

• KaizenCoders Table of Content (content-table) plugin for WordPress
• All versions through 1.5.3.1
• WordPress sites with the plugin active and exposed input vectors

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-09-05 - CVE-2025-58857 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-58857

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of input during web page generation within the Table of Content plugin. The plugin accepts user-controlled data and writes it back into rendered HTML without sufficient output encoding or sanitization. An attacker submits a payload containing JavaScript, and the plugin stores it. When a subsequent request renders the affected page, the stored payload executes in the victim's browser session.

Exploitation requires user interaction, and the attack crosses a security scope boundary, meaning injected scripts can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component. This includes the WordPress administrative interface when an authenticated administrator views injected content. Successful exploitation can lead to administrative account compromise, plugin installation, content manipulation, and pivoting to deeper site-level compromise.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of proper input sanitization via WordPress APIs such as sanitize_text_field(), wp_kses(), or esc_html() on data flowing into rendered output. The plugin treats stored values as trusted HTML rather than untrusted strings requiring contextual encoding.

Attack Vector

The attack is performed over the network and requires victim interaction. An attacker submits crafted input containing script tags or event-handler attributes through a plugin-exposed input field. The payload persists in the WordPress database. When an administrator or visitor loads a page that renders the stored content, the browser executes the injected JavaScript under the site's origin. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-58857

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected <script> tags, javascript: URIs, or inline event handlers (onerror, onload, onclick) stored in WordPress post or plugin option tables
• Outbound HTTP requests from administrator browsers to unknown domains after viewing plugin-generated pages
• New administrative users, modified plugin files, or unexpected WordPress option changes following plugin interaction

Detection Strategies

• Audit the WordPress database (wp_posts, wp_options, plugin-specific tables) for HTML/JavaScript payloads in fields managed by the content-table plugin
• Inspect web server access logs for POST requests to plugin endpoints containing encoded script payloads or HTML entities
• Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) reporting to surface unexpected script execution origins

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor administrator session activity for unauthorized privilege changes or plugin/theme modifications
• Alert on creation of new administrative accounts or modifications to wp_users and wp_usermeta
• Track outbound connections from WordPress hosts to non-allowlisted domains, which can indicate data exfiltration via injected scripts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-58857

Immediate Actions Required

• Disable or remove the KaizenCoders Table of Content plugin until a patched version above 1.5.3.1 is verified and installed
• Audit existing plugin-stored content for malicious payloads and remove any injected scripts
• Rotate WordPress administrator credentials and invalidate active sessions if compromise is suspected

Patch Information

No fixed version is identified in the published advisory at the time of writing. Monitor the Patchstack advisory and the WordPress plugin repository for an updated release from KaizenCoders. Apply the patch as soon as it becomes available.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to plugin input fields to trusted, authenticated users only, using role-based access controls
• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule to block requests containing <script>, javascript:, or HTML event-handler patterns targeting plugin endpoints
• Implement a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and unauthorized external script sources

# Example WAF/ModSecurity rule to block XSS payloads to plugin endpoints
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin.php" \
  "chain,id:1058857,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'Block XSS in content-table plugin'"
SecRule ARGS "@rx (?i)(<script|javascript:|onerror=|onload=)" "t:none,t:urlDecodeUni"