Overview
The digital world is a vast, interconnected ecosystem where even the smallest vulnerability can lead to cataclysmic results. One such vulnerability has been found lurking in the Pixelgrade Category Icon, marked by the CVE identification code: CVE-2025-31039. This vulnerability involves improper restriction of XML External Entity (XXE) reference, which opens up a doorway for potential system compromise or data leakage.
This vulnerability has a significant impact on all systems running the Category Icon plugin from Pixelgrade, versions up to and including 1.0.2. It’s of paramount importance for cybersecurity experts, system administrators, and users alike, as its exploitation can lead to severe security breaches and potential data loss.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-31039
Severity: Critical (9.1 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Pixelgrade Category Icon | up to 1.0.2
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability CVE-2025-31039 is an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability, which occurs when an application processes XML data containing a reference to an external entity. This can lead to disclosure of confidential data, denial of service, server-side request forgery, port scanning from the perspective of the machine where the parser is located, and other system impacts.
In this case, the Pixelgrade Category Icon plugin does not properly restrict the processing of XML external entities, allowing an attacker to read sensitive data from the system or interact with any back-end or external systems that the application can access.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of a malicious XML payload that could exploit this vulnerability:
POST /pixelgrade-icon HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/xml
<!DOCTYPE exploit [
<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file:///etc/passwd">]>
<pixelgrade-icon>
<icon>&xxe;</icon>
</pixelgrade-icon>In this hypothetical example, the attacker sends a POST request with a malicious XML payload. The payload includes an external entity (`xxe`) that references a sensitive file on the system (`/etc/passwd`). The application then processes the XML data, including the external entity, thereby sending the contents of the sensitive file back in the response.