CVE-2025-1665 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the Avada (Fusion) Builder plugin for WordPress, a widely used page builder tool. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient sanitization and escaping of user-supplied attributes in several of the plugin's shortcodes. This flaw allows authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into pages. Because the injected scripts are stored persistently, they execute in the context of any user who views the affected page, potentially compromising user sessions, stealing cookies, or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of users. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 3.11.14. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.4, reflecting medium severity, with an attack vector of network, low attack complexity, requiring privileges (contributor or higher), no user interaction, and scope change due to impact on other users. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the presence of this vulnerability in a popular WordPress plugin makes it a significant risk. The root cause is improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79), highlighting a failure in secure coding practices related to input validation and output encoding. The vulnerability was reserved in February 2025 and published in April 2025. No official patches or updates have been linked yet, so users must monitor vendor advisories closely.

The impact of CVE-2025-1665 is primarily on the confidentiality and integrity of affected WordPress sites and their users. Successful exploitation allows an attacker with contributor-level access to inject malicious scripts that execute in other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, unauthorized actions, and defacement. This can undermine user trust, lead to data breaches, and facilitate further attacks such as privilege escalation or malware distribution. Since the vulnerability requires authenticated access, it limits exposure to sites with weak access controls or compromised contributor accounts. However, the scope is significant because many organizations worldwide use Avada Builder for their websites, including businesses, e-commerce, and media outlets. The vulnerability does not affect availability directly but can cause reputational damage and indirect service disruption. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers often weaponize such vulnerabilities rapidly after disclosure.

To mitigate CVE-2025-1665, organizations should: 1) Immediately update the Avada (Fusion) Builder plugin to a patched version once released by the vendor. 2) Until a patch is available, restrict contributor-level and higher permissions to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of malicious shortcode injection. 3) Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious script injections in shortcode attributes. 4) Conduct regular security audits of user-generated content and shortcodes for malicious payloads. 5) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers. 6) Educate site administrators about the risks of granting contributor-level access and enforce strong authentication mechanisms. 7) Monitor logs and user activity for unusual behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 8) Consider disabling or limiting the use of vulnerable shortcodes if feasible until a patch is available. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, monitoring, and layered defenses specific to this plugin's context.