CVE-2025-23826
📋 TL;DR
This stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the WordPress Stop Comment Spam plugin allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages that are then executed when other users view those pages. The vulnerability affects all WordPress sites using Stop Comment Spam plugin versions up to and including 0.5.3. Attackers can potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Stop Comment Spam 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 admin accounts, install backdoors, deface websites, or redirect visitors to malicious sites, potentially leading to complete site compromise and data theft.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious JavaScript into comment sections or other user-generated content areas, which then executes in visitors' browsers, potentially stealing their session cookies or redirecting them to phishing sites.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, malicious scripts would be neutralized before being stored or displayed, preventing execution in users' browsers.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires the ability to submit content that gets processed by the vulnerable plugin, typically through comment submission or similar user input mechanisms.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version after 0.5.3
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Stop Comment Spam' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update available, deactivate and delete the plugin, then install latest version from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
WordPressTemporarily deactivate the Stop Comment Spam plugin until patched version is available
wp plugin deactivate stop-comment-spam
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'"
Or add to WordPress functions.php: header("Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'");
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable the Stop Comment Spam plugin completely
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in user input
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Installed Plugins for Stop Comment Spam versionCheck Version:
wp plugin list --name=stop-comment-spam --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is greater than 0.5.3 in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual comment submissions with script tags or JavaScript code
- Multiple failed comment submissions with XSS payloads
- Admin user agents accessing unusual comment pages
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing script tags in comment parameters
- POST requests to comment submission endpoints with encoded JavaScript
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("script" OR "javascript" OR "onload" OR "onerror") AND "comment"