CVE-2025-64291 Overview
CVE-2025-64291 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Premmerce User Roles plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of premmerce-user-roles up to and including 1.0.13. It stems from improper neutralization of input during web page generation, classified under [CWE-79]. Exploitation requires high privileges and user interaction, but the injected payload executes in the context of another user's browser session, crossing a security scope boundary.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers with elevated privileges can inject persistent JavaScript that executes when other users load affected pages, enabling session theft, forced administrative actions, and further account compromise.
Affected Products
- Premmerce User Roles plugin for WordPress
- All versions from unspecified initial release through 1.0.13
- WordPress sites using the premmerce-user-roles plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-10-29 - CVE-2025-64291 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-64291
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in the Premmerce User Roles plugin's handling of user-controlled input rendered to web pages. The plugin fails to properly sanitize or encode input before including it in generated HTML output. An authenticated attacker with high privileges can submit malicious payloads containing JavaScript through plugin input fields. The payload is stored server-side and later rendered without sufficient neutralization.
Because the vulnerability is stored rather than reflected, the payload persists across sessions and executes each time a user views the affected page. The scope change indicates the injected script can affect resources beyond the attacker's own privilege boundary, such as administrator sessions viewing role or user management screens.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing output encoding when the plugin renders user-supplied data into HTML. WordPress provides sanitization helpers such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), and wp_kses() for this purpose. The affected plugin code paths either omit these helpers or apply them incorrectly, allowing raw markup and script tags to reach the browser as executable content.
Attack Vector
An attacker with high-privilege access to the WordPress admin interface submits a crafted payload through a plugin form or configuration field. The payload is stored in the WordPress database. When another authenticated user, typically an administrator, opens the page that renders this value, the browser parses and executes the injected script. The attacker can then perform actions in the victim's session, read sensitive DOM data, or pivot to create new administrative accounts. See the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report for additional advisory details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-64291
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script>, <img onerror=>, or javascript: payloads stored in WordPress database tables associated with the premmerce-user-roles plugin.
- WordPress admin pages that unexpectedly issue outbound requests to unfamiliar domains when loaded.
- New administrator accounts, modified user roles, or altered plugin settings that do not correlate with legitimate administrative activity.
Detection Strategies
- Audit database rows written by the plugin for HTML or JavaScript content and flag entries containing tag delimiters or event handler attributes.
- Deploy a web application firewall rule set that inspects POST requests to plugin endpoints for XSS signatures.
- Review WordPress audit logs for privileged user activity that precedes anomalous admin session behavior.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Monitor browser Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for inline script execution originating from wp-admin pages.
- Track file integrity and database changes to plugin-managed tables and configuration options.
- Correlate administrator authentication events with subsequent role or user modifications to identify session hijacking attempts.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-64291
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the Premmerce User Roles plugin to a version later than 1.0.13 once the vendor releases a patched build.
- Restrict access to the WordPress admin interface using network controls, multi-factor authentication, and least-privilege role assignments.
- Audit existing plugin data for stored payloads and remove any injected script content before it is rendered to other users.
Patch Information
At the time of publication, the vulnerability affects versions through 1.0.13. Consult the Patchstack advisory for current patch availability and apply the vendor-supplied update as soon as it is released.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the premmerce-user-roles plugin until a patched version is available if the functionality is not business-critical.
- Deploy a strict Content Security Policy on wp-admin pages that blocks inline script execution and restricts allowed script sources.
- Limit the assignment of high-privilege roles and require administrators to review plugin configuration changes through a secondary approval workflow.
# Example CSP header to restrict inline script execution in wp-admin
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.
