CVE-2025-39516
📋 TL;DR
This DOM-based XSS vulnerability in the Author WIP Progress Bar WordPress plugin allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. It affects all WordPress sites using this plugin version 1.0 or earlier. Attackers can steal session cookies, redirect users, or perform actions on their behalf.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Author WIP Progress Bar 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
Complete site compromise through session hijacking, administrative account takeover, malware distribution to visitors, and data exfiltration.
Likely Case
Session cookie theft leading to account compromise, defacement of vulnerable pages, and credential harvesting from site visitors.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and input validation, though DOM-based XSS bypasses many traditional defenses.
🎯 Exploit Status
DOM-based XSS attacks are well-understood and can be easily weaponized. The vulnerability requires user interaction (visiting a malicious link) but doesn't require authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.0.1 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Author WIP Progress Bar'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If no update appears, deactivate and delete the plugin immediately.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate author-work-in-progress-bar
Implement Content Security Policy
allAdd CSP headers to mitigate XSS impact
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 Author WIP Progress Bar plugin completely from all WordPress installations
- Implement strict Content Security Policy headers with script-src directives limiting JavaScript execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for 'Author WIP Progress Bar' version 1.0 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin list --name='author-work-in-progress-bar' --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 1.0.1 or later, or confirm plugin is not installed📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual JavaScript payloads in URL parameters
- Multiple requests with script tags in query strings
- Unexpected redirects from plugin pages
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing malicious script payloads in parameters
- Outbound connections to suspicious domains from plugin pages
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress" AND (url="*author-wip*" OR plugin="author-work-in-progress-bar") AND (url="*<script>*" OR url="*javascript:*" OR url="*onload=*" OR url="*onerror=*")