CVE-2025-23458
Lifecycle Timeline
2Description
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Rakessh Ads24 Lite wp-ad-management allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects Ads24 Lite: from n/a through <= 1.0.
Analysis
Reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) in the Rakessh Ads24 Lite WordPress plugin (wp-ad-management) up to version 1.0 allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability stems from improper input neutralization during web page generation, enabling attackers to craft malicious URLs that execute arbitrary JavaScript in victims' browsers when visited, potentially compromising user sessions, stealing credentials, or defacing content. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been confirmed at the time of analysis, though the low EPSS score (0.04%) suggests limited real-world exploitation likelihood despite the straightforward attack vector.
Technical Context
This vulnerability is a classic reflected XSS flaw (CWE-79) in a WordPress plugin responsible for ad management functionality. The wp-ad-management plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape user-supplied input parameters before including them in dynamically generated HTML responses. Unlike stored XSS, reflected XSS requires the attacker to craft a specific URL containing the malicious payload and trick a user into visiting it; the payload is not permanently stored in the plugin's database. The vulnerability exists in the rendering layer where user input is echoed back to the page without adequate HTML entity encoding or content security measures. WordPress plugins are particularly attractive attack targets because they operate within the wp-admin and front-end contexts with elevated privileges.
Affected Products
The Rakessh Ads24 Lite WordPress plugin (wp-ad-management) is affected in all versions from initial release through version 1.0 inclusive. The plugin operates within WordPress environments and is distributed through the WordPress plugin repository. No other products or versions are indicated as affected. Organizations can identify affected installations by checking the plugin slug 'wp-ad-management' and confirming the version number is 1.0 or earlier. Refer to the Patchstack vulnerability database entry at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/wp-ad-management/vulnerability/wordpress-ads24-lite-plugin-1-0-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve for vendor advisory details and confirmation.
Remediation
The primary remediation is to upgrade the Ads24 Lite plugin to a patched version released after 1.0. Site administrators should navigate to the WordPress Plugins dashboard, locate 'wp-ad-management', and click 'Update' if a newer version is available. If no patched version has been released by the vendor, the safest interim measure is to deactivate and remove the plugin entirely until the developer publishes a fixed release. Additionally, implement WordPress security hardening practices such as installing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with XSS filtering rules, enabling Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict inline script execution, and ensuring all WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates are applied promptly. Refer to https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/wp-ad-management for patch availability status and vendor contact information.
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