CVE-2025-13847
📋 TL;DR
The PhotoFade WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in the 'time' parameter that allows authenticated attackers with Contributor access or higher to inject malicious scripts. These scripts execute when users view compromised pages, potentially stealing credentials or performing unauthorized actions. All WordPress sites using PhotoFade version 0.2.1 or earlier are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress PhotoFade 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 perform actions as authenticated users leading to complete site compromise.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies or credentials, potentially gaining higher privileges or performing unauthorized actions on the WordPress site.
If Mitigated
With proper user role management and input validation, impact is limited to low-privilege user data exposure and minor site defacement.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is straightforward once attacker has Contributor privileges. The vulnerability is in a publicly accessible parameter with insufficient sanitization.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 0.2.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/photofade
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find PhotoFade plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update available, deactivate and delete plugin, then install fresh version from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable PhotoFade Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched version is available
wp plugin deactivate photofade
Restrict User Roles
allTemporarily remove Contributor role access or restrict user registration
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in 'time' parameter
- Apply WordPress security plugins with XSS protection and monitor for suspicious user activity
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Installed Plugins → PhotoFade version. If version is 0.2.1 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get photofade --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After update, verify PhotoFade plugin version shows 0.2.2 or later in WordPress admin plugins page.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to WordPress admin-ajax.php with 'time' parameter containing script tags
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful Contributor-level login
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing malicious script payloads in 'time' parameter
- Outbound connections to suspicious domains from WordPress server
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("time=<script" OR "time=javascript:" OR "admin-ajax.php" AND "action=photofade")