CVE-2025-13988 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the WordPress plugin 评论小秘书, affecting all versions up to and including 1.3.2. The root cause is insufficient input sanitization and output escaping of the $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] variable on the plugin's settings page. This variable reflects the current script's filename and path, which can be manipulated by an attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript code. Since the vulnerability is reflected, the malicious payload is embedded in a crafted URL that, when visited by a user, causes the injected script to execute in the context of the victim's browser. This can lead to theft of cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information, as well as unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the user. The vulnerability does not require authentication, making it accessible to unauthenticated attackers, but it does require user interaction (clicking a malicious link). The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.1, reflecting medium severity, with attack vector network, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, and impacts on confidentiality and integrity but not availability. No public exploits are currently known, but the plugin's widespread use in WordPress sites, especially those targeting Chinese-speaking users, increases the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and output encoding in web applications, particularly for variables derived from server environment data.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant if the 评论小秘书 plugin is used on their WordPress sites. Successful exploitation can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed under the victim's identity, potentially compromising sensitive data and user trust. This can result in reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations due to data breaches), and financial losses. Since the vulnerability requires user interaction, phishing campaigns could be used to lure employees or customers into clicking malicious links, increasing the risk of targeted attacks. Additionally, compromised websites could be used as a vector for further attacks within the organization or to distribute malware to visitors. The reflected XSS nature limits persistent impact but still poses a significant threat to confidentiality and integrity of user data and sessions.

European organizations should immediately assess whether the 评论小秘书 plugin is installed on their WordPress sites and identify the version in use. Since no official patch links are provided yet, temporary mitigations include: 1) Restrict access to the plugin's settings page to trusted administrators only, using web application firewalls (WAF) or access control rules. 2) Implement input validation and output encoding at the web server or application firewall level to sanitize the $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] variable or block suspicious URL patterns. 3) Educate users and administrators about the risks of clicking untrusted links to reduce the likelihood of successful phishing attacks. 4) Monitor web logs for suspicious URL requests containing script tags or unusual characters targeting the plugin's settings page. 5) Plan for prompt patching once an official update is released by the vendor. 6) Consider disabling or replacing the plugin if it is not essential to reduce attack surface. 7) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers.