CVE-2025-3458
📋 TL;DR
The Ocean Extra WordPress plugin contains a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts into web pages. These scripts execute whenever users visit the compromised pages, potentially stealing credentials or performing unauthorized actions. The vulnerability requires the Classic Editor plugin to be installed and active for exploitation.
💻 Affected Systems
- Ocean Extra WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Ocean Extra by Oceanwp
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal administrator credentials, take over WordPress sites, install backdoors, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users.
Likely Case
Attackers with contributor access inject malicious scripts to steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing pages, or deface websites.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output escaping, the vulnerability would be prevented, and with least privilege access controls, the attack surface would be reduced.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access (Contributor or higher) and Classic Editor plugin. The vulnerability is in the 'ocean_gallery_id' parameter with insufficient sanitization.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.4.7 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3277977/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find Ocean Extra plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. Alternatively, download version 2.4.7+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Classic Editor Plugin
allRemove the Classic Editor plugin to prevent exploitation since it's required for the vulnerability.
Restrict User Roles
allLimit Contributor and higher privileged accounts to trusted users only.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in the 'ocean_gallery_id' parameter
- Apply input validation and output escaping at the application level if custom code modifications are possible
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Ocean Extra plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins → Installed Plugins. If version is 2.4.6 or lower, the site is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get ocean-extra --field=version (if WP-CLI installed) or check WordPress admin plugins pageVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the Ocean Extra plugin version shows 2.4.7 or higher in the WordPress admin plugins page.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests containing script tags or JavaScript in 'ocean_gallery_id' parameter
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful Contributor-level access
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with suspicious JavaScript payloads in gallery parameters
- Unexpected outbound connections from WordPress sites to external domains
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("ocean_gallery_id" AND ("<script" OR "javascript:" OR "onerror=" OR "onload="))🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/ocean-extra/tags/2.4.6/includes/metabox/gallery-metabox/gallery-metabox.php#L113
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/ocean-extra/tags/2.4.6/includes/metabox/gallery-metabox/gallery-metabox.php#L162
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3277977/
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/7595a1f6-6923-4102-8efe-a414adebce65?source=cve
