CVE-2025-11197 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the Draft List plugin for WordPress, developed by dartiss. The vulnerability arises from insufficient sanitization and escaping of user-supplied attributes in the plugin's 'drafts' shortcode. Specifically, authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher can inject arbitrary JavaScript code into pages by manipulating shortcode attributes. Because the injected scripts are stored persistently, they execute every time any user accesses the affected page, potentially compromising user sessions, stealing cookies, or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of users. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 2.6.1. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.4, reflecting a medium severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, requiring privileges (contributor or above), no user interaction, and a scope change. The impact includes partial confidentiality and integrity loss but no availability impact. No patches or exploit code are currently publicly available, but the vulnerability is published and should be addressed proactively. This flaw is classified under CWE-79, which covers improper neutralization of input during web page generation, a common and dangerous web security issue. Given WordPress's widespread use, especially in Europe, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to websites relying on this plugin for content management and display.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-11197 can be significant, particularly for those operating WordPress sites with multiple contributors or editors. Exploitation allows authenticated users to inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of site visitors or administrators, potentially leading to session hijacking, theft of credentials, unauthorized actions, or defacement. This can damage organizational reputation, lead to data breaches, and cause compliance issues under regulations like GDPR due to unauthorized access or data leakage. Since the vulnerability requires contributor-level access, insider threats or compromised contributor accounts increase risk. The scope of affected systems includes any WordPress installations using the Draft List plugin, which may be common in content-heavy websites, blogs, and corporate portals. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a window for mitigation, but the medium severity score indicates a need for timely remediation to prevent exploitation. The vulnerability does not affect availability directly but can indirectly disrupt operations if exploited.

1. Monitor official dartiss and WordPress plugin repositories for updates or patches addressing this vulnerability and apply them immediately upon release. 2. Until a patch is available, restrict contributor-level access to trusted users only and review user permissions to minimize risk. 3. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious shortcode attribute inputs that may contain script tags or JavaScript code. 4. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict execution of inline scripts and reduce the impact of XSS attacks. 5. Conduct regular security audits and code reviews of custom shortcodes and plugins to ensure proper input validation and output encoding. 6. Educate content contributors about safe input practices and the risks of injecting untrusted content. 7. Consider disabling or replacing the Draft List plugin with alternative solutions that follow secure coding practices if immediate patching is not feasible. 8. Use security plugins that scan for XSS vulnerabilities and monitor for unusual activity on WordPress sites.