CVE-2025-2800 is a high-severity stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the WP Event Manager plugin for WordPress, specifically the Events Calendar, Registrations, and Sell Tickets with WooCommerce components. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 3.1.50 due to improper input sanitization and output escaping of the 'organizer_name' parameter. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this flaw by injecting malicious JavaScript code into the 'organizer_name' field, which is then stored and rendered on event pages. When legitimate users access these pages, the injected scripts execute in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, defacement, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability is notable because it requires no authentication or user interaction to exploit, and the scope is broad since it affects all versions of the plugin up to 3.1.50. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.2, reflecting a network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and a scope change with partial confidentiality and integrity impact but no availability impact. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the widespread use of this plugin in WordPress event management and e-commerce contexts makes this a significant risk. The vulnerability stems from CWE-79, highlighting improper neutralization of input during web page generation, a common and dangerous web application security flaw.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk, especially for those relying on WordPress-based event management and ticketing solutions integrated with WooCommerce. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to user sessions, theft of sensitive customer data, and potential compromise of e-commerce transactions. This can result in reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (notably with GDPR due to potential data breaches), financial losses, and disruption of event-related services. Given the plugin’s role in managing registrations and ticket sales, attackers could manipulate event data or redirect users to phishing sites, undermining trust and causing operational disruptions. The cross-site scripting nature of the vulnerability also facilitates further attacks such as malware distribution or lateral movement within compromised networks. European organizations with public-facing event platforms are particularly vulnerable to exploitation that could affect large user bases, including attendees and administrators.

Organizations should immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify the presence of the WP Event Manager plugin and verify the version in use. Upgrading to a patched version beyond 3.1.50, once available, is the primary mitigation step. In the absence of an official patch, temporary mitigations include implementing Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block malicious payloads targeting the 'organizer_name' parameter, and applying input validation and output encoding at the application level if custom development resources are available. Additionally, administrators should review and sanitize existing event data to remove any injected scripts. Monitoring web server logs and user reports for suspicious activity related to event pages can help detect exploitation attempts. Educating content managers and users about the risks of XSS and enforcing least privilege principles for plugin management can reduce exposure. Finally, organizations should ensure their incident response plans include procedures for handling web application compromises involving XSS.