CVE-2025-11801 is a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability classified under CWE-79, found in the AudioTube plugin for WordPress, specifically affecting all versions up to and including 0.0.3. The vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization and escaping of the 'caption' shortcode attribute within the 'audiotube' shortcode, allowing malicious script injection. An attacker with contributor-level privileges or higher can embed arbitrary JavaScript code into pages or posts by manipulating this attribute. When other users, including administrators or editors, access the compromised content, the injected scripts execute in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or unauthorized actions within the WordPress environment. The CVSS v3.1 score of 6.4 reflects a medium severity, with an attack vector over the network, low attack complexity, and requiring privileges but no user interaction. The scope is changed (S:C), indicating that the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. Although no public exploits are currently known, the vulnerability's nature and required privileges mean it could be leveraged in insider threat scenarios or by compromised contributor accounts. The lack of patches at the time of publication necessitates immediate attention from site administrators using AudioTube. Mitigation involves restricting contributor privileges, monitoring shortcode usage, and applying custom input validation or output escaping until an official fix is released.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the confidentiality and integrity of web content and user sessions on WordPress sites using the AudioTube plugin. Exploitation could allow attackers to steal authentication cookies, perform actions on behalf of other users, or deface websites, undermining trust and potentially leading to data breaches or reputational damage. Organizations relying on WordPress for public-facing or internal content management may face service disruption or compliance issues, especially under GDPR if personal data is exposed or manipulated. The requirement for contributor-level access limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, as many organizations grant such privileges to multiple users. The vulnerability could be exploited in targeted attacks against media, publishing, education, or other sectors prevalent in Europe that use WordPress with multimedia plugins. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not preclude future attacks, making proactive mitigation critical.

1. Immediately review and restrict contributor-level access to trusted users only, minimizing the number of accounts that can exploit this vulnerability. 2. Implement strict input validation and output escaping for the 'caption' attribute in the 'audiotube' shortcode via custom code or security plugins that sanitize shortcode inputs. 3. Monitor WordPress logs and content for unusual shortcode usage or unexpected script injections. 4. Disable or remove the AudioTube plugin if it is not essential, or replace it with alternative plugins that do not have this vulnerability. 5. Apply web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block attempts to inject malicious scripts via shortcode attributes. 6. Stay updated with vendor announcements and apply official patches as soon as they become available. 7. Educate content contributors about the risks of injecting untrusted content and enforce security best practices in content management workflows.