CVE-2022-1755 is a medium-severity Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the SVG Support WordPress plugin versions prior to 2.5. This plugin allows WordPress users to add SVG images to their sites, including via URLs. The vulnerability arises because the plugin does not properly sanitize or validate SVG content added through URLs, enabling users with as low a privilege as the 'author' role to inject malicious scripts. This improper handling leads to a reflected or stored XSS condition (CWE-79), where an attacker can execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the victim's browser. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.4 reflects that the attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires low privileges (PR:L), and user interaction (UI:R), with a scope change (S:C) indicating that the vulnerability affects components beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact includes limited confidentiality and integrity loss but no availability impact. Exploitation requires the attacker to have author-level access, which is a relatively low privilege in WordPress, making this vulnerability significant for sites that allow multiple contributors. No known public exploits have been reported, and no official patches are linked, but upgrading to version 2.5 or later is implied as a remediation step. The vulnerability is particularly relevant in environments where SVGs are used extensively and where multiple users have author-level permissions, increasing the attack surface for XSS attacks that can lead to session hijacking, defacement, or further exploitation through chained attacks.

For European organizations, especially those relying on WordPress for their web presence, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk. Organizations with collaborative content creation workflows that grant author-level access to multiple users are at higher risk. Successful exploitation could lead to session hijacking, unauthorized actions performed on behalf of legitimate users, or distribution of malicious content to site visitors, potentially damaging reputation and trust. In sectors such as government, finance, healthcare, and e-commerce, where data confidentiality and integrity are paramount, even limited breaches can have regulatory and financial consequences under GDPR and other compliance frameworks. Additionally, compromised websites can be used as vectors for phishing or malware distribution, impacting end users and partners. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers often weaponize such vulnerabilities once publicly disclosed.

European organizations should immediately verify if their WordPress installations use the SVG Support plugin and identify the plugin version. If running versions prior to 2.5, they should upgrade to the latest version that addresses this vulnerability. In the absence of an official patch, organizations can implement strict input validation and sanitization for SVG URLs, restrict author-level permissions to trusted users only, and monitor user activities for suspicious behavior. Employing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block malicious SVG payloads can provide additional protection. Regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on user-uploaded content and plugin vulnerabilities are recommended. Furthermore, organizations should educate content authors about the risks of uploading untrusted SVG content and enforce the principle of least privilege to minimize the number of users with author-level access.