CVE-2025-8150: Events Addon for Elementor XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-8150 Overview

CVE-2025-8150 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Events Addon for Elementor plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.2.9. It originates from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied attributes in the Typewriter and Countdown widgets. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or above can inject arbitrary web scripts. Injected scripts execute in the browser of any user who views the affected page. The weakness is tracked under CWE-79.

Critical Impact
Contributor-level accounts can plant persistent JavaScript that executes against site visitors, including administrators, enabling session theft and account takeover.

Affected Products

Events Addon for Elementor plugin for WordPress
All versions up to and including 2.2.9
WordPress sites with contributor-level or higher user registration enabled

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-29 - CVE-2025-8150 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-8150

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a stored XSS condition in two Elementor widgets shipped by the Events Addon plugin: the Typewriter widget and the Countdown widget. Both widgets accept user-supplied attributes that are rendered back into page markup without adequate sanitization or output escaping. An authenticated user with contributor privileges can place JavaScript payloads inside these widget attributes. The payload is stored in the WordPress database and executed each time the page is rendered. Because the script runs in the context of the site origin, it can read cookies accessible to JavaScript, perform actions on behalf of logged-in administrators, and modify page content.

Root Cause

The plugin fails to apply WordPress sanitization helpers such as sanitize_text_field() on inbound widget attributes and does not escape the stored values with esc_attr() or esc_html() on output. This dual failure allows raw HTML and script tags to persist and render. The weakness maps to CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an authenticated session with at least contributor privileges on the target WordPress site. The attacker edits a page or post, inserts a Typewriter or Countdown widget, and supplies a malicious payload in one of the widget's text attributes. When any visitor loads the page, the browser executes the injected script. The attack is network-reachable and does not require user interaction beyond visiting the page. For technical patch details, see the WordPress Trac Changeset 3351935 and the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-8150

Indicators of Compromise

Post or page content containing <script>, onerror=, onload=, or javascript: strings within Typewriter or Countdown widget attributes stored in wp_postmeta or wp_posts.
Unexpected outbound requests from site visitors to attacker-controlled domains following page loads.
New or modified administrator accounts shortly after a contributor edits a page using the affected widgets.

Detection Strategies

Query the WordPress database for Elementor widget data referencing typewriter or countdown widget types and inspect attribute values for HTML or script syntax.
Review the plugin version in use and flag any installation at or below 2.2.9.
Monitor web server logs for anomalous POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or the Elementor editor endpoints originating from contributor accounts.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) headers in report-only mode to surface script execution from unexpected sources.
Audit contributor and author accounts for unusual publishing activity or widget edits.
Alert on changes to administrator role assignments and on new privileged user creation.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-8150

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Events Addon for Elementor plugin to a version later than 2.2.9 as soon as it becomes available from the plugin page.
Audit all existing pages and posts that use the Typewriter or Countdown widgets for malicious attribute content.
Review and tighten the role capabilities assigned to contributor-level accounts.

Patch Information

The vendor committed a fix in WordPress Trac Changeset 3351935. Administrators should apply the patched release available from the official Events Add-On for Elementor plugin repository. Verify the installed version through the WordPress plugin dashboard after upgrading.

Workarounds

Deactivate the Events Addon for Elementor plugin until a patched version is installed if the Typewriter or Countdown widgets are not required.
Restrict contributor-level account creation and require administrator approval for new users.
Deploy a web application firewall rule to block requests containing script tags or event handlers in Elementor widget parameters.

bash

# Configuration example
# Identify the installed plugin version using WP-CLI
wp plugin get events-addon-for-elementor --field=version

# Deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate events-addon-for-elementor

# After the vendor publishes a fixed release, update and reactivate
wp plugin update events-addon-for-elementor
wp plugin activate events-addon-for-elementor