CVE-2025-69302: DesignThemes Core Features XSS Flaw

CVE-2025-69302 Overview

CVE-2025-69302 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the DesignThemes Core Features WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.3 and stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation [CWE-79]. Attackers can craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by an authenticated or unauthenticated user, execute arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser session. The vulnerability has a changed scope, meaning successful exploitation can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component. Patchstack published the advisory documenting the issue against the designthemes-core-features plugin.

Critical Impact
Attackers can hijack sessions, steal credentials, and perform actions on behalf of victims by tricking them into clicking crafted URLs.

Affected Products

DesignThemes Core Features WordPress plugin versions through 2.3
WordPress sites running themes that bundle the designthemes-core-features plugin
Any installation where the plugin remains active without the vendor-supplied fix

Discovery Timeline

2026-02-20 - CVE-2025-69302 published to NVD
2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-69302

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a reflected XSS flaw classified under [CWE-79]. The DesignThemes Core Features plugin fails to sanitize or encode user-controlled input before reflecting it into HTTP response bodies. When a victim loads a crafted URL containing JavaScript payloads in vulnerable parameters, the plugin renders the input directly into the resulting HTML page. The browser then parses and executes the attacker-supplied script in the context of the WordPress site.

Exploitation requires user interaction, typically through a phishing link or a malicious page that triggers the request. Because the vulnerability operates with a changed scope, injected scripts can access resources beyond the immediate component, including session cookies, the WordPress admin interface, and any embedded iframes within the site. The EPSS probability is 0.045%, indicating low observed exploitation activity at the time of publication.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing output encoding and input validation on parameters processed by the plugin. User-supplied data passes through to HTML rendering without being escaped using WordPress functions such as esc_html(), esc_attr(), or wp_kses(). This allows raw <script> tags and event handler attributes to survive into the response.

Attack Vector

The attack is delivered over the network and requires the victim to click a malicious link or visit an attacker-controlled page. An attacker constructs a URL targeting a vulnerable plugin endpoint, embedding JavaScript in a reflected parameter. When the victim's browser loads the response, the injected script executes with the privileges of the victim's WordPress session. Refer to the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report for parameter-level technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-69302

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP request logs containing URL parameters with <script>, onerror=, onload=, or javascript: payloads directed at plugin endpoints
Unexpected outbound requests from administrator browsers to attacker-controlled domains following clicks on inbound links
Newly created WordPress administrator accounts or unauthorized plugin installations following suspicious link activity

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for query strings containing HTML special characters such as <, >, ", and ' against designthemes-core-features paths
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set that flags reflected payloads matching common XSS signatures
Correlate referer headers with outbound script-tag fetches to identify reflection chains

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable WordPress audit logging for administrator session activity, including profile changes and plugin modifications
Monitor Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for inline script execution attempts
Alert on plugin version strings matching designthemes-core-features 2.3 or earlier in asset inventories

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-69302

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress sites running the DesignThemes Core Features plugin and confirm the installed version
Deactivate the plugin on any installation running version 2.3 or earlier until a vendor patch is applied
Force password resets and review administrator accounts on sites that may have been targeted

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the advisory lists affected versions through 2.3. Administrators should consult the Patchstack XSS Vulnerability Report and the vendor's distribution channel for the latest fixed release.

Workarounds

Deploy WAF rules that block requests containing common XSS payload patterns targeting plugin endpoints
Implement a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and restricts script sources to trusted origins
Restrict administrator panel access by IP allowlist to limit the impact of session hijacking

bash

# Example Content Security Policy header for WordPress (nginx)
add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; frame-ancestors 'self';" always;
add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;
add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;