CVE-2025-22822
📋 TL;DR
This stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the WP Custom Countdown WordPress plugin allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages. When users view pages containing the compromised countdown, the scripts execute in their browsers. All WordPress sites using affected versions of this plugin are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- WP Custom Countdown 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 administrator session cookies, take over WordPress sites, redirect users to malicious sites, or deploy malware to visitors' browsers.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious JavaScript to steal user session cookies, potentially compromising administrator accounts and gaining control over the WordPress site.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, malicious scripts would be neutralized before reaching users' browsers, preventing exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Stored XSS vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins are commonly exploited. While no public PoC is confirmed, exploitation requires authenticated access to inject malicious scripts.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 2.9 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'WP Custom Countdown' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify the plugin version is 2.9 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WP Custom Countdown Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate wp-custom-countdown
Implement Content Security Policy
allAdd CSP headers to restrict script execution sources
Add to .htaccess: Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'"
Add to nginx config: add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'";
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the WP Custom Countdown plugin entirely from your WordPress installation
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads targeting the countdown functionality
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for WP Custom Countdown version 2.8 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get wp-custom-countdown --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify WP Custom Countdown plugin version is 2.9 or higher in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with countdown-related parameters
- JavaScript payloads in WordPress database wp_posts or wp_options tables
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from WordPress site to external domains following countdown page views
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("wp-custom-countdown" OR "countdown") AND ("script" OR "javascript" OR "onload" OR "onerror")