The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-11742 affects the WPC Smart Wishlist for WooCommerce plugin used in WordPress e-commerce sites. Specifically, the issue arises from a missing capability check on the 'wishlist_quickview' AJAX action, which is responsible for retrieving wishlist data. This missing authorization allows any authenticated user with at least Subscriber-level privileges to access wishlist data belonging to other users. Since WooCommerce is widely used for online stores, and the wishlist feature often contains personal preferences and potentially sensitive shopping behavior data, unauthorized access can lead to privacy violations. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond authentication, and it does not affect data integrity or availability, only confidentiality. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.3, indicating a medium severity primarily due to the low complexity of exploitation and the limited impact confined to data disclosure. No patches or known exploits are currently reported, but the issue is publicly disclosed and should be addressed promptly. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), highlighting the failure to enforce proper access controls on a critical function.

For European organizations operating WooCommerce-based e-commerce platforms, this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized disclosure of customer wishlist data, potentially exposing personal shopping preferences and behavioral insights. While this may not directly result in financial loss or system compromise, it undermines customer privacy and could damage brand reputation, especially under stringent data protection regulations like GDPR. Exposure of wishlist data might also facilitate targeted phishing or social engineering attacks if combined with other leaked information. The impact is primarily on confidentiality, with no direct effect on system integrity or availability. Organizations may face regulatory scrutiny if they fail to protect user data adequately. The risk is higher for businesses with large user bases and extensive use of the affected plugin, particularly in countries with mature e-commerce markets.

Immediate mitigation involves monitoring for an official patch from the plugin vendor and applying it as soon as it becomes available. Until then, organizations should implement custom authorization checks on the 'wishlist_quickview' AJAX endpoint to ensure that users can only access their own wishlist data. This can be done by modifying the plugin code or using WordPress hooks to enforce capability checks. Additionally, restricting Subscriber-level users from accessing AJAX actions not intended for them through role hardening or plugin-based access control solutions can reduce risk. Regularly auditing user roles and permissions to ensure minimal necessary access is granted will also help. Organizations should monitor logs for unusual access patterns to wishlist data and educate users about potential phishing risks stemming from exposed personal data. Finally, consider disabling the wishlist feature temporarily if it is not critical to business operations until a fix is applied.