A security flaw has been identified in the List Children plugin for WordPress, impacting all versions up to and including 2.1. This vulnerability, known as Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), could allow malicious code to run on your website, posing a risk to visitors.
At its core, this issue stems from how the plugin handles information provided by users. Specifically, the ‘list_children’ shortcode doesn’t properly clean up or secure certain details entered by authenticated users. This means someone with the right access (like a contributor) could sneak in harmful web scripts, which would then execute whenever another user visits a page containing that injected code.
CVE Details
Product: List Children plugin for WordPress
Published Date: May 1, 2025
Severity: Medium
Status: Analyzed
Affected Products
The List Children plugin for WordPress, across all versions up to, and including, 2.1, is vulnerable. If you are using this plugin and have not updated it recently, your website may be at risk.
Current Status
The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-4099, has been analyzed. This means security experts have reviewed the flaw and understand its nature and potential impact. Users are advised to stay informed about any official patches or updates released by the plugin developer.
Severity Level
This vulnerability is rated as Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.4. A medium rating indicates that while the vulnerability is significant, it might require specific conditions or user interaction to be exploited. In this case, an attacker needs at least contributor-level access to your WordPress site to inject the malicious scripts. However, once injected, these scripts can affect any user who views the compromised page, potentially leading to data theft, session hijacking, or defacement of your website.
Possible Solutions
Protecting your WordPress site from Stored XSS vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-4099 is crucial. Here are some steps you can take:
- Update Your Plugin: The most important step is to update the List Children plugin to the latest available version as soon as a patch is released. Developers typically address such vulnerabilities quickly. Check the official WordPress plugin repository or the plugin’s dedicated website for updates.
- Input Sanitization and Output Escaping: While this is typically a developer responsibility, understanding the root cause (insufficient sanitization and escaping) highlights the importance of using plugins that follow secure coding practices.
- Restrict User Roles: If possible, limit the number of users with contributor-level access or higher, especially if they are untrusted. This reduces the attack surface for this type of vulnerability.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Employing a robust Web Application Firewall can help detect and block malicious requests, providing an additional layer of defense against XSS and other web attacks.
- Regular Security Audits: Perform regular security scans and audits of your WordPress installation and plugins to identify and address potential weaknesses proactively.
References
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/list-children/trunk/list_children.php#L26
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3284430/
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/538b4d4b-f8c6-44db-89d2-d345bfbfecb2?source=cve
