CVE-2025-67554 Overview
CVE-2025-67554 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Humanityco Cookie Notice & Compliance for GDPR / CCPA WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.5.8. An authenticated attacker with high privileges can inject malicious script content that persists in the plugin's output. When another user loads the affected page, the browser executes the stored script in the context of that user's session. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-79 for improper neutralization of input during web page generation.
Critical Impact
Stored script content executes in victim browsers, enabling session theft, administrative action hijacking, and content manipulation across any page where the cookie notice renders.
Affected Products
- Humanityco Cookie Notice & Compliance for GDPR / CCPA plugin for WordPress
- All plugin versions through 2.5.8
- WordPress sites exposing the plugin's configuration interface to multiple privileged users
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-12-09 - CVE-2025-67554 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-10-07 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-67554
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of user-controlled input before it is written back into generated HTML. The cookie-notice plugin stores administrator-configured values such as banner text and button labels. These values are later echoed into the page without sufficient output encoding or sanitization. An attacker with privileged access submits payloads containing HTML or JavaScript. The payloads persist in the plugin configuration and execute whenever the cookie banner renders for a site visitor or another administrator.
Exploitation requires an authenticated session with high privileges and user interaction to trigger the injected script. The scope is changed, meaning the executed script can impact resources beyond the vulnerable component, including the broader WordPress administration context.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing or incomplete sanitization routine on input saved through the plugin's settings handlers. Expected server-side filtering functions such as wp_kses() or output escaping helpers like esc_html() and esc_attr() are either absent or applied inconsistently to the affected fields. As a result, attacker-controlled markup survives the save-render cycle intact.
Attack Vector
An attacker with administrative or editor-level access submits a crafted payload through the plugin configuration UI. The malicious content is stored in the WordPress options table. When any user with permission to view the admin area or any front-end visitor loads a page that renders the cookie notice, the browser parses and executes the stored script. Typical outcomes include theft of authentication cookies, forced administrative actions through forged requests, and defacement of the compliance banner.
No verified proof-of-concept code has been published. See the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-67554
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected <script>, <iframe>, or event handler attributes stored in the cookie_notice_options row of the wp_options table
- Outbound requests from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains immediately after loading WordPress admin pages
- Audit log entries showing plugin setting updates performed by accounts that do not normally manage cookie compliance
Detection Strategies
- Query the WordPress options table for cookie-notice settings containing angle brackets, javascript: URIs, or encoded script fragments
- Inspect HTTP responses for script content rendered inside the cookie banner markup that does not match the plugin's default templates
- Review web server access logs for POST requests to options.php or admin-ajax.php that modify cookie-notice fields
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging for plugin configuration changes and alert on modifications to the Cookie Notice plugin
- Deploy a Content Security Policy that restricts inline script execution and reports violations to a monitoring endpoint
- Correlate administrator session anomalies with recent plugin setting changes to identify post-exploitation activity
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-67554
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress sites running the Cookie Notice & Compliance for GDPR / CCPA plugin at version 2.5.8 or earlier
- Update the plugin to the latest patched release available from the WordPress plugin repository
- Review plugin configuration values and remove any fields containing script tags or unexpected HTML markup
- Rotate administrator credentials and invalidate active sessions if stored payloads are found
Patch Information
The vendor has addressed the vulnerability in a release after 2.5.8. Site administrators should apply the latest version of the Cookie Notice & Compliance for GDPR / CCPA plugin. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for the fixed version reference and additional remediation guidance.
Workarounds
- Restrict plugin configuration access to a minimal set of trusted administrators until patching is complete
- Apply a web application firewall rule that strips HTML tags from POST parameters targeting cookie-notice settings endpoints
- Deploy a strict Content Security Policy that blocks inline script execution on front-end and admin pages
# Configuration example: restrictive CSP header via .htaccess
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.
