CVE-2025-4776 averta CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders responsible for WordPress installations using the Phlox theme should assess exposure and prioritize verification and remediation. This includes administrators, security teams, and IT personnel who manage WordPress deployments. They should review the vulnerability details, verify affected systems, and apply patches or mitigations as needed.

Why it matters

The Phlox theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting, allowing authenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts. Defenders should prioritize verification and remediation to prevent exploitation.

• Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access and above can inject arbitrary web scripts
• Injected scripts execute whenever a user accesses an injected page
• Defenders must verify and update the Phlox theme to prevent exploitation
• Remediation requires updating to a patched version of the Phlox theme

Technical summary

The Phlox theme for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the `data-caption` HTML attribute in all versions up to, and including, 2.17.7 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize verifying and updating the Phlox theme to a version that addresses the Stored Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability.

Recommended defensive actions

• Verify the Phlox theme version and update to a patched version if necessary.
• Implement input sanitization and output escaping for the `data-caption` HTML attribute.
• Monitor for potential exploitation attempts.
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified.
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review.
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented.
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up.

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD entry provide details on the vulnerability, including its description and CVSS score. The Phlox theme vulnerability was reported by [email protected]. Defenders should verify the vulnerability details and assess exposure based on the provided information. The CVE record was published on 2026-01-06T07:15:43.020Z and has not been modified since then.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.