CVE-2025-14118
📋 TL;DR
The Starred Review WordPress plugin contains a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted URLs. When victims click malicious links, attackers can steal session cookies, redirect users, or perform actions on their behalf. All WordPress sites using Starred Review plugin versions 1.4.2 and earlier are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Starred Review 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 steal administrator session cookies, gain administrative access to WordPress, install backdoors, deface websites, or exfiltrate sensitive data.
Likely Case
Attackers steal user session cookies to hijack accounts, redirect users to phishing sites, or perform limited actions within user permissions.
If Mitigated
Script execution is blocked by browser security features or web application firewalls, limiting impact to failed exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires social engineering to trick users into clicking malicious links. No authentication required for initial attack vector.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.4.3 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/starred-review/trunk/starred-review.php
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Starred Review 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
Web Application Firewall Rule
allDeploy WAF rules to block malicious PHP_SELF parameter values containing script tags or JavaScript.
Disable Plugin
linuxTemporarily disable the Starred Review plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate starred-review
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement Content Security Policy headers to restrict script execution sources
- Deploy network-level filtering to block requests containing suspicious PHP_SELF parameters
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for Starred Review version 1.4.2 or earlier.Check Version:
wp plugin get starred-review --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 1.4.3 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing PHP_SELF parameter with script tags or JavaScript code
- Unusual referrer headers containing malicious payloads
Network Indicators:
- URLs containing PHP_SELF parameter with encoded script payloads
- Requests to plugin endpoints with suspicious query parameters
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri="*PHP_SELF*" AND (uri="*<script*" OR uri="*javascript:*" OR uri="*onload=*"))