CVE-2025-1491
📋 TL;DR
The WP Posts Carousel WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in versions up to 1.3.7. Authenticated attackers with Contributor access or higher can inject malicious scripts via the 'auto_play_timeout' parameter, which execute when users view affected pages. This affects all WordPress sites using vulnerable plugin versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- WP Posts Carousel 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 admin credentials, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or install backdoors for persistent access.
Likely Case
Attackers with contributor accounts inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies or perform phishing attacks against site visitors.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output escaping, the vulnerability is prevented entirely.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is straightforward once an attacker has Contributor-level credentials.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.3.8
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3248502/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find WP Posts Carousel. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 1.3.8+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate wp-posts-carousel
Restrict User Roles
allRemove Contributor role access or implement stricter user role management.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in the auto_play_timeout parameter.
- Apply additional input sanitization filters at the WordPress level for all plugin parameters.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for WP Posts Carousel version 1.3.7 or lower.Check Version:
wp plugin get wp-posts-carousel --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm WP Posts Carousel version is 1.3.8 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with auto_play_timeout parameter containing script tags or JavaScript code
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful Contributor-level login
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing malicious script payloads in auto_play_timeout parameter
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND "auto_play_timeout" AND ("<script>" OR "javascript:" OR "onerror=" OR "onload=")