CVE-2025-53573
📋 TL;DR
This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Epic Review WordPress plugin allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. It affects all WordPress sites using Epic Review plugin versions 1.0.2 and earlier. The vulnerability is reflected XSS, meaning the malicious input is immediately returned in the server's response.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Epic Review 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 session cookies, perform actions as authenticated users, deface websites, or redirect users to malicious sites, potentially leading to complete account compromise and data theft.
Likely Case
Attackers craft malicious URLs containing XSS payloads, trick users into clicking them, and execute scripts in victims' browsers to steal session cookies or perform limited malicious actions.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, malicious scripts are neutralized before reaching users' browsers, preventing exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Reflected XSS vulnerabilities typically have low exploitation complexity and can be exploited without authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 1.0.2
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Epic Review plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update available, deactivate and delete plugin, then install latest version from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Input Validation Filter
allImplement server-side input validation to sanitize user inputs before processing.
Implement proper input sanitization in plugin code using WordPress sanitization functions like sanitize_text_field(), esc_html(), or wp_kses()
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
allDeploy WAF rules to detect and block XSS payloads in HTTP requests.
Configure WAF to block requests containing common XSS patterns like <script>, javascript:, onerror=, etc.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable or remove the Epic Review plugin immediately
- Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution sources
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for Epic Review version. If version is 1.0.2 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name=epic-review --field=version (if WP-CLI installed) or check WordPress admin plugins pageVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify plugin version shows higher than 1.0.2 in WordPress plugins list.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual GET/POST requests containing script tags or JavaScript code in parameters
- Multiple failed XSS attempts in web server logs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with suspicious parameters containing <script>, javascript:, or on* event handlers
SIEM Query:
source="web_server_logs" AND (uri="*<script*" OR uri="*javascript:*" OR uri="*onerror=*" OR uri="*onload=*")