CVE-2025-58882 Overview
CVE-2025-58882 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the w1zzard Simple Text Slider WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 1.0.5. It stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, classified as [CWE-79].
An authenticated attacker with low privileges can inject persistent JavaScript payloads that execute in the browsers of users who view affected pages. Successful exploitation requires user interaction and can lead to session compromise, content manipulation, and pivoting to higher-privileged accounts.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can inject persistent JavaScript that executes in administrator or visitor browsers, enabling account takeover and further compromise of the WordPress site.
Affected Products
- w1zzard Simple Text Slider plugin for WordPress
- All versions from initial release through 1.0.5
- WordPress sites with the simple-text-slider plugin activated
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-09-05 - CVE-2025-58882 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-58882
Vulnerability Analysis
The Simple Text Slider plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape user-controlled input before rendering it in generated web pages. An attacker with contributor-level or similar low-privilege access can submit malicious payloads through plugin input fields. These payloads are stored in the WordPress database and rendered without escaping when pages containing the slider are viewed.
Because the payload is persistent, every visitor who loads the affected page executes the injected script in their browser session. The scope change in the CVSS vector indicates the vulnerable component can affect resources beyond its security boundary, typically the WordPress admin interface. Exploitation requires user interaction, meaning a victim must load a page containing the injected content.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing output encoding and input sanitization within the plugin's slider content handling. WordPress provides functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), and wp_kses() for safe output rendering, but the plugin does not apply them consistently to slider text fields before echoing values into the DOM.
Attack Vector
Exploitation follows a standard stored XSS pattern. An authenticated user with the required privilege creates or edits a slider entry and injects JavaScript within a text field. The payload is saved to the database and served to any user who renders the slider, including administrators viewing the WordPress dashboard preview or front-end pages.
No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly linked in the available references. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for advisory details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-58882
Indicators of Compromise
- Slider post meta or plugin option values containing <script>, onerror=, onload=, or javascript: sequences
- Unexpected outbound HTTP requests from administrator sessions after loading pages with the plugin active
- New administrator accounts or modified user roles created shortly after a low-privileged user edited slider content
Detection Strategies
- Audit the WordPress database for slider entries created or modified by non-administrator users containing HTML event handlers or <script> tags
- Deploy a web application firewall rule to flag POST requests to the plugin's admin endpoints that include script tags or JavaScript URI schemes
- Review web server access logs for anomalous request patterns targeting wp-admin endpoints associated with the simple-text-slider plugin
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress activity logging to record all slider creation and modification events with user attribution
- Alert on privilege escalation events and unexpected role changes following slider edits
- Monitor browser Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for inline script execution on pages rendering the plugin
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-58882
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the Simple Text Slider plugin until a patched version becomes available
- Restrict contributor and author role assignments to trusted users only, reducing the pool of accounts capable of exploitation
- Review existing slider content for injected scripts and remove any suspicious entries
- Force password resets for administrator accounts if evidence of exploitation exists
Patch Information
No fixed version has been published as of the NVD last-modified date. The vulnerability affects all versions through 1.0.5. Monitor the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the WordPress plugin repository for updates.
Workarounds
- Implement a strict Content Security Policy that blocks inline script execution and restricts script sources to trusted origins
- Deploy a web application firewall with rules that block XSS payload patterns in requests to WordPress admin endpoints
- Limit access to the WordPress admin interface using IP allowlisting or VPN-gated access
- Enforce the principle of least privilege by removing unused contributor and author accounts
# Example CSP header to mitigate XSS execution risk
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; base-uri 'self'; frame-ancestors 'self'"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.