CVE-2025-12649
📋 TL;DR
The SortTable Post WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts into web pages. These scripts execute when users interact with the affected pages via mouse actions. This affects all WordPress sites using the plugin up to version 4.2.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress SortTable Post plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal admin credentials, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or install backdoors for persistent access.
Likely Case
Attackers with contributor access inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies or credentials from visitors.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output escaping, no script injection would occur despite malicious input attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is straightforward once authenticated. Mouse interaction triggers execution.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.3 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3200000/sorttable-post/trunk/sorttablepost.php
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find SortTable Post plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update, deactivate and delete plugin, then install fresh version from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the SortTable Post plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate sorttable-post
Restrict user roles
allLimit contributor-level access to trusted users only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in POST parameters
- Monitor for suspicious shortcode usage and user-generated content containing script tags
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for SortTable Post version ≤4.2Check Version:
wp plugin get sorttable-post --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 4.3 or higher and test shortcode functionality with malicious input📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual shortcode usage patterns
- POST requests containing script tags in 'id' parameter
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by contributor account activity
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections to suspicious domains after page interaction
- Unexpected JavaScript loading from WordPress pages
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("sorttablepost" OR "id parameter") AND ("script" OR "javascript:" OR "onmouse")