CVE-2025-2302
📋 TL;DR
The Advanced Woo Search WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts into website pages. These scripts execute whenever users visit the compromised pages, potentially stealing credentials or performing unauthorized actions. All WordPress sites using this plugin up to version 3.28 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Advanced Woo Search 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 credentials, take over the WordPress site, install backdoors, deface the website, or redirect users to malicious sites.
Likely Case
Attackers with contributor access inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies, redirect users to phishing pages, or display unwanted advertisements.
If Mitigated
With proper user access controls and content security policies, impact is limited to defacement or minor script injection that doesn't compromise sensitive data.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access (contributor role or higher). The vulnerability is in the aws_search_terms shortcode where user-supplied attributes aren't properly sanitized.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.29 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3200000/advanced-woo-search/tags/3.29/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find Advanced Woo Search and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify the plugin version is 3.29 or higher.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Remove Contributor Access
allTemporarily remove contributor-level access from untrusted users until patching is complete.
Disable Shortcode
allRemove or disable the aws_search_terms shortcode from all posts and pages.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution
- Regularly audit user accounts and remove unnecessary contributor-level access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Advanced Woo Search. If version is 3.28 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name=advanced-woo-search --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the plugin shows version 3.29 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual shortcode modifications in post/page edits
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful contributor login
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected script tags in page responses containing aws_search_terms attributes
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (event="post_updated" OR event="page_updated") AND (shortcode="aws_search_terms" OR body CONTAINS "aws_search_terms")🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/advanced-woo-search/tags/3.28/includes/class-aws-shortcodes.php#L175
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/advanced-woo-search/tags/3.28/includes/class-aws-shortcodes.php#L50
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/ef8fca84-3ea1-432f-8cfe-9a1d1f70fa6f?source=cve
