CVE-2025-12823
📋 TL;DR
The CSV to SortTable WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in all versions up to 4.2. Authenticated attackers with Contributor access or higher can inject malicious scripts via the 'csv' shortcode, which execute when users view compromised pages. This affects all WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin.
💻 Affected Systems
- CSV to SortTable WordPress 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 administrator credentials, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or install backdoors for persistent access.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies, redirect visitors to phishing pages, or display unwanted advertisements.
If Mitigated
With proper user role management and security plugins, impact is limited to content manipulation within Contributor capabilities.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access with at least Contributor privileges. The vulnerability is straightforward to exploit once authenticated.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 4.3 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.com/plugins/csv-to-sorttable
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'CSV to SortTable' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify plugin version is 4.3 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the CSV to SortTable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate csv-to-sorttable
Restrict User Roles
allTemporarily remove Contributor role access or restrict shortcode usage
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in shortcode attributes
- Use security plugins like Wordfence that include XSS protection and user role monitoring
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for CSV to SortTable version. If version is 4.2 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get csv-to-sorttable --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify plugin version shows 4.3 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to wp-admin with CSV shortcode parameters containing script tags
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful Contributor-level login
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing malicious script payloads in 'csv' shortcode parameters
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("csv" AND ("script" OR "javascript:" OR "onerror=" OR "onload="))