CVE-2025-14143
📋 TL;DR
The Ayo Shortcodes WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in the 'color' parameter of the ayo_action shortcode. Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher can inject malicious scripts that execute when users view compromised pages. This affects all versions up to and including 0.2.
💻 Affected Systems
- Ayo Shortcodes 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 session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, deface websites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users.
Likely Case
Attackers with contributor access inject malicious scripts to steal admin credentials or session cookies, potentially leading to site takeover.
If Mitigated
With proper user role management and content review, impact is limited to defacement or minor script injection on non-critical pages.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is straightforward once access is obtained.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/ayo-shortcodes
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Remove the Ayo Shortcodes plugin from your WordPress installation. 2. Delete all plugin files from the wp-content/plugins/ directory. 3. Check for any posts/pages using ayo_action shortcodes and remove or sanitize them.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allDeactivate and remove the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate ayo-shortcodes
wp plugin delete ayo-shortcodes
Restrict User Roles
allLimit contributor-level access to trusted users only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove all instances of ayo_action shortcodes from posts and pages
- Implement web application firewall rules to block suspicious parameter values
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if the Ayo Shortcodes plugin is installed and if version is 0.2 or earlier in WordPress admin panelCheck Version:
wp plugin list --name=ayo-shortcodes --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin is removed from wp-content/plugins/ directory and no longer appears in WordPress admin📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests containing 'color' parameter with script tags
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful contributor login
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with suspicious 'color' parameter values containing JavaScript
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND "color=" AND ("<script>" OR "javascript:")🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/ayo-shortcodes/tags/0.2/includes/ayo-shortcodes-functions.php#L55
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/ayo-shortcodes/tags/0.2/includes/ayo-shortcodes-functions.php#L66
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/ayo-shortcodes/trunk/includes/ayo-shortcodes-functions.php#L55
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/ayo-shortcodes/trunk/includes/ayo-shortcodes-functions.php#L66
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/1760fe6e-8153-4479-ae32-2e2f0fa54e12?source=cve
