CVE-2025-60162 Overview
CVE-2025-60162 is a DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the PickPlugins Job Board Manager plugin for WordPress. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, classified under [CWE-79]. All versions of job-board-manager up to and including 2.1.61 are affected. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can inject malicious script content that executes in the context of a victim's browser session after user interaction. Successful exploitation compromises confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a limited scope and can cross security boundaries via a scope change.
Critical Impact
Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in the browsers of users interacting with crafted content served through the Job Board Manager plugin, enabling session theft, defacement, and pivoting to administrative actions.
Affected Products
- PickPlugins Job Board Manager plugin for WordPress
- Versions from unspecified initial release through 2.1.61
- WordPress sites using the job-board-manager plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-09-26 - CVE-2025-60162 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-60162
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a DOM-based XSS issue in the Job Board Manager plugin. Client-side JavaScript in the plugin writes attacker-controllable input into the Document Object Model (DOM) without sanitization or safe DOM APIs. As a result, script payloads embedded in URL fragments, query parameters, or plugin-managed data flow directly into DOM sinks that treat the content as executable markup.
Exploitation requires authentication with low privileges and some form of user interaction, such as visiting a crafted URL or interacting with a manipulated job posting. Because the vulnerability spans a scope boundary, injected script can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component's original security context. See the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report for the vendor-tracked advisory.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper neutralization of input during web page generation. Client-side code in job-board-manager passes untrusted values into DOM sinks such as innerHTML, document.write, or jQuery .html() without escaping. This allows browser-parsed HTML and script tags to execute when the DOM is rendered.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires an authenticated user account with low privileges. The attacker crafts a URL or job board entry containing a JavaScript payload embedded in an input consumed by the plugin's client-side code. When a targeted user loads the affected page, the payload writes into a vulnerable DOM sink and executes in the victim's browser session under the site's origin.
Because no verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available, refer to the linked advisory for technical indicators. The vulnerability manifests wherever plugin JavaScript renders untrusted attributes or content back into the page without escaping.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-60162
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script> tags, event handlers, or javascript: URIs stored in job listings, applicant fields, or plugin metadata records within the WordPress database.
- HTTP requests to job board endpoints containing encoded payloads such as %3Cscript%3E, onerror=, or onload= in query strings or fragments.
- Outbound browser requests to unfamiliar domains initiated from pages rendered by the job-board-manager plugin.
Detection Strategies
- Review WordPress access logs for anomalous parameters targeting job-board-manager endpoints, particularly requests with URL fragments or query strings containing HTML control characters.
- Enable and monitor Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for inline script executions originating from pages served by the plugin.
- Perform periodic content audits of job listing records to identify HTML injection patterns not typically produced by legitimate authors.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Ingest WordPress and web server logs into a centralized analytics platform to correlate authenticated user actions with suspicious payload patterns.
- Alert on newly created or edited job postings that contain HTML tags, script fragments, or unusual attribute values within plugin-managed fields.
- Monitor privileged WordPress accounts for session anomalies that may follow a successful XSS-triggered action.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-60162
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress installations running the PickPlugins Job Board Manager plugin at version 2.1.61 or earlier.
- Restrict low-privilege account creation and audit existing contributor or author accounts that could stage crafted content.
- Deploy a strict Content Security Policy limiting inline script execution on pages rendered by the plugin.
Patch Information
At the time of publication, no fixed version is referenced in the NVD entry. Monitor the Patchstack advisory and the plugin vendor's release notes for an updated version above 2.1.61, and apply it as soon as it becomes available.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the job-board-manager plugin until a patched release is installed if the functionality is not business-critical.
- Place the affected WordPress site behind a web application firewall configured to filter XSS payloads targeting plugin endpoints.
- Enforce least-privilege role assignments so that only trusted accounts can submit or edit job board content.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
