CVE-2025-14452 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the WP Customer Reviews plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 3.7.5. The root cause is insufficient sanitization and escaping of the 'wpcr3_fname' parameter, which is used during web page generation. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to craft malicious URLs containing JavaScript payloads that execute in the context of the victim’s browser when the victim clicks the link. The vulnerability leverages CWE-79, indicating improper neutralization of input during web page generation. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.2 reflects a network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and no user interaction needed (UI:N), but the scope is changed (S:C) because the vulnerability can affect other components or users beyond the initial vulnerable plugin. The impact includes potential theft of session cookies, redirection to malicious sites, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the user, compromising confidentiality and integrity but not availability. Although no exploits are currently known in the wild, the vulnerability is exploitable remotely and without authentication, increasing its risk profile. The vulnerability was reserved in December 2025 and published in February 2026, indicating recent discovery and disclosure. No official patches are yet linked, so mitigation relies on defensive controls and user awareness until updates are released.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to websites using the WP Customer Reviews plugin, commonly employed to gather customer feedback on WordPress-based e-commerce and service sites. Exploitation can lead to session hijacking, unauthorized actions, and data leakage, undermining customer trust and potentially violating GDPR requirements concerning data protection and breach notification. The reflected XSS nature means attackers can target employees or customers via phishing campaigns, increasing the attack surface. Compromised sites may suffer reputational damage, loss of business, and regulatory penalties. The vulnerability’s network accessibility and lack of required privileges mean attackers can launch attacks from anywhere, increasing risk for organizations with public-facing WordPress sites. Given the widespread use of WordPress across Europe, especially in small and medium enterprises, the potential impact is broad. Additionally, sectors with high customer interaction such as retail, hospitality, and financial services are particularly vulnerable to exploitation consequences.

1. Monitor for and apply official patches or updates from the plugin vendor as soon as they become available. 2. In the absence of patches, deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules specifically targeting reflected XSS attacks, including filtering or blocking suspicious 'wpcr3_fname' parameter inputs. 3. Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of inline scripts and reduce the impact of injected scripts. 4. Conduct regular security audits and penetration tests focusing on WordPress plugins and input validation. 5. Educate users and employees about phishing risks and the dangers of clicking on unsolicited or suspicious links. 6. Consider temporarily disabling or replacing the WP Customer Reviews plugin if immediate patching is not possible, especially on high-risk or critical sites. 7. Enable logging and monitoring to detect unusual activities or exploitation attempts related to this vulnerability. 8. Harden WordPress installations by limiting plugin usage to trusted and actively maintained plugins and keeping the core and all components updated.