CVE-2025-31416
📋 TL;DR
This reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Awesome Event Booking WordPress plugin allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. Attackers can steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of victims. All WordPress sites using Awesome Event Booking versions up to 2.8.4 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Awesome Event Booking 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 steal administrator session cookies, gain full control of WordPress site, install backdoors, deface website, or steal sensitive user data.
Likely Case
Attackers steal user session cookies, redirect visitors to phishing sites, or perform limited actions within user permissions.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, malicious scripts are neutralized before execution, preventing successful exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Reflected XSS vulnerabilities are commonly exploited using simple payloads. Attack requires user interaction (clicking malicious link).
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.8.5 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find Awesome Event Booking. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update appears, manually download version 2.8.5+ from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Temporary Plugin Deactivation
allDisable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate awesome-event-booking
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
allConfigure WAF to block XSS payload patterns
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution
- Use browser security features like HttpOnly cookies and SameSite attributes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Awesome Event Booking version. If version is 2.8.4 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get awesome-event-booking --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify plugin version shows 2.8.5 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual GET/POST requests containing script tags or JavaScript payloads
- Multiple failed XSS attempts in web server logs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with suspicious parameters containing <script>, javascript:, or encoded payloads
SIEM Query:
source="web_server_logs" AND ("<script" OR "javascript:" OR "%3Cscript" OR "%22onload%3D") AND uri="*awesome-event-booking*"