CVE-2025-13961 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the Data Visualizer plugin for WordPress developed by subhransu-sekhar. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.1 due to insufficient sanitization and escaping of user-supplied attributes within the plugin's 'visualize' shortcode. Authenticated users with contributor-level access or higher can exploit this flaw by injecting arbitrary JavaScript code into pages generated by the plugin. Since the malicious script is stored, it executes every time any user accesses the compromised page, potentially leading to session hijacking, theft of cookies, defacement, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation), a common web application security issue. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.4, reflecting medium severity, with an attack vector of network (remote), low attack complexity, requiring privileges (contributor or above), no user interaction, and a scope change due to impact on other components. No patches or updates are currently linked, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild. The vulnerability's impact is primarily on confidentiality and integrity, with no direct availability impact. The requirement for authenticated access limits exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with multiple contributors or less stringent access controls.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to the confidentiality and integrity of web applications using the Data Visualizer plugin on WordPress. Attackers with contributor-level access can inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users, potentially leading to session hijacking, unauthorized actions, or data leakage. This can undermine trust in affected websites, cause reputational damage, and expose sensitive user information. Organizations relying on WordPress for public-facing or internal dashboards that incorporate this plugin are particularly vulnerable. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the medium CVSS score and the stored nature of the XSS mean that successful exploitation could have persistent effects. European entities with collaborative content creation workflows or less restrictive contributor permissions are at higher risk. Additionally, regulatory frameworks such as GDPR impose strict requirements on data protection, and exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to compliance violations and associated penalties.

1. Immediately audit and restrict contributor-level access to trusted personnel only, minimizing the number of users who can exploit this vulnerability. 2. Monitor usage of the 'visualize' shortcode in WordPress posts and pages to detect suspicious or unauthorized script injections. 3. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common XSS payloads targeting the Data Visualizer plugin. 4. Encourage users to apply principle of least privilege for WordPress roles, limiting contributors' capabilities where possible. 5. Regularly review and sanitize all user-generated content before publishing, especially content that uses shortcodes. 6. Stay alert for official patches or updates from the plugin developer and apply them promptly once available. 7. Consider temporarily disabling or replacing the Data Visualizer plugin if immediate patching is not feasible. 8. Educate content contributors about safe content creation practices and the risks of injecting scripts. 9. Conduct periodic security assessments and penetration testing focused on WordPress plugins and user input handling. 10. Use Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution sources, mitigating impact of injected scripts.