CVE-2025-15378
📋 TL;DR
The AJS Footnotes WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts into website pages. All WordPress sites using plugin versions up to 1.0 are affected. The vulnerability exists due to missing security checks and insufficient input sanitization.
💻 Affected Systems
- AJS Footnotes 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, redirect users to malicious sites, deface websites, or install backdoors for persistent access.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies, redirect visitors to phishing sites, or display unwanted advertisements.
If Mitigated
With proper web application firewalls and input validation, the risk is reduced to minimal impact with potential for detection and blocking.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability requires no authentication and has simple exploitation vectors via HTTP requests.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.0.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/ajs-footnotes/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find AJS Footnotes and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify plugin version is 1.0.1 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate ajs-footnotes
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock requests containing malicious script patterns targeting the vulnerable parameters
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution
- Deploy a web application firewall with XSS protection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for AJS Footnotes version 1.0 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get ajs-footnotes --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 1.0.1 or higher in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with note_list_class or popup_display_effect_in parameters containing script tags
- Unusual plugin setting changes from unauthenticated IPs
Network Indicators:
- POST requests with JavaScript payloads in parameters
- Multiple requests to plugin endpoints from single IPs
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri_path="*admin-ajax.php*" AND (param_name="note_list_class" OR param_name="popup_display_effect_in") AND param_value="*<script>*")