CVE-2025-39549
📋 TL;DR
This stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Most And Least Read Posts Widget WordPress plugin allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages. When users view pages containing the compromised widget, the scripts execute in their browsers. All WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Most And Least Read Posts Widget 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 session cookies, take over WordPress sites, redirect users to malicious sites, or deploy malware to visitors' browsers.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious JavaScript to steal user session cookies, perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, or deface website content.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, malicious scripts would be neutralized before reaching users' browsers.
🎯 Exploit Status
Stored XSS vulnerabilities are commonly exploited once discovered. Attackers need contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.5.21 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Most And Least Read Posts Widget'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 2.5.21+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the Most And Least Read Posts Widget plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate most-and-least-read-posts-widget
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'"
Add to wp-config.php: header("Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'");
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove the Most And Least Read Posts Widget from all pages and posts
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for 'Most And Least Read Posts Widget' version 2.5.20 or earlier.Check Version:
wp plugin get most-and-least-read-posts-widget --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 2.5.21 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with script tags
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful contributor/admin login
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections to unknown domains from your WordPress site
- Unexpected JavaScript includes in page responses
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("script" OR "javascript" OR "onload" OR "onerror") AND uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"