CVE-2025-10182 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the dbview plugin for WordPress, developed by john-ackers. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 0.5.5 due to insufficient sanitization and escaping of user-supplied attributes within the 'dbview' shortcode. Authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher can exploit this flaw by injecting arbitrary JavaScript code into pages rendered by the plugin. When other users access these pages, the malicious scripts execute in their browsers, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of users, or deface content. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, indicating improper neutralization of input during web page generation. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.4, reflecting a medium severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, and requiring privileges but no user interaction. The scope is changed, meaning the vulnerability affects resources beyond the attacker’s privileges. No patches or known exploits are currently available, but the risk remains significant due to the widespread use of WordPress and the dbview plugin in content management. The vulnerability’s exploitation requires authenticated access, limiting exposure but still posing a threat in multi-user environments such as corporate or editorial websites.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to websites and intranet portals running WordPress with the dbview plugin installed. Attackers with contributor-level access can inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of site visitors or administrators, potentially leading to session hijacking, unauthorized actions, or data theft. This can undermine the confidentiality and integrity of user data and website content, damaging organizational reputation and trust. Since the vulnerability does not affect availability, denial-of-service impacts are unlikely. However, the scope change means attackers can affect users with higher privileges, increasing the potential damage. Organizations with collaborative content management workflows, such as media companies, educational institutions, and government agencies, are particularly vulnerable. The lack of a patch increases the urgency for interim mitigations. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe, the threat could affect a broad range of sectors, including finance, healthcare, and public services, where data protection regulations like GDPR heighten the consequences of data breaches.

1. Monitor for an official patch release from the plugin developer and apply it immediately upon availability. 2. Until a patch is available, restrict contributor-level and higher permissions to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of malicious input. 3. Implement manual input validation and output escaping on all user-supplied attributes in the 'dbview' shortcode if possible, using WordPress security best practices such as esc_attr() and esc_html(). 4. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts targeting the dbview shortcode. 5. Conduct regular security audits of WordPress plugins and user permissions to identify and remediate potential abuse. 6. Educate content contributors about the risks of injecting untrusted content and enforce strict content submission policies. 7. Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers. 8. Monitor logs for unusual activity related to the dbview plugin and shortcode usage to detect exploitation attempts early.