# CVE-2025-25062: Cross-site scripting in backdrop

> Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in an administrator's browser via crafted content in CKEditor 5, potentially leading to account takeover.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Feb 2025
- **Updated:** 9 May 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-vrh8-g8q9-jhc6

## What is CVE-2025-25062?

CVE-2025-25062 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in backdropcms backdrop, published on 3 Feb 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An XSS issue was discovered in Backdrop CMS 1.28.x before 1.28.5 and 1.29.x before 1.29.3. It doesn't sufficiently isolate long text content when the CKEditor 5 rich text editor is used. This allows a potential attacker to craft specialized HTML and JavaScript that may be executed when an administrator attempts to edit a piece of content. This vulnerability is mitigated by the fact that an attacker must have the ability to create long text content (such as through the node or comment forms) and an administrator must edit (not view) the content that contains the malicious content. This problem only exists when using the CKEditor 5 module.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-25062?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Backdropcms Backdrop Cms.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-25062?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-25062 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-25062 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-25062 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Backdrop CMS 1.29.2 - Privilege Escalation via Stored XSS + CSRF (github_poc): https://github.com/rhburt/CVE-2025-25062

## Other vulnerabilities in backdropcms backdrop

- [CVE-2019-14771](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-14771/): File upload in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-42092](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-42092/): Backdrop CMS Unrestricted File Upload vulnerability (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2019-19902](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-19902/): File upload in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2025-63828](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-63828/): Backdrop CMS Host Header Injection vulnerability (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2025-44141](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-44141/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 6.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-25062 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-25062 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in backdropcms backdrop, published on 3 Feb 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-25062 exists.

Affected product: backdropcms backdrop. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-25062/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-25062/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-25062
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-25062
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-25062

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-25062/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.