CVE-2025-28968 is a high-severity reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the WordPress plugin WP Wall developed by Vladimir Prelovac. The vulnerability arises due to improper neutralization of input during web page generation, classified under CWE-79. Specifically, the plugin fails to adequately sanitize user-supplied input before reflecting it back in the web page, allowing an attacker to inject malicious scripts. This reflected XSS can be triggered without any authentication (PR:N) but requires user interaction (UI:R), such as clicking a crafted link. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1, indicating a high impact with network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), and a scope change (S:C) implying that exploitation can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component. The impact includes partial confidentiality, integrity, and availability loss (C:L/I:L/A:L), meaning an attacker could steal sensitive information, manipulate content, or disrupt service to some extent. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The affected versions include all versions up to 1.7.3, with no specific earliest affected version stated. Given WP Wall’s role as a social wall plugin for WordPress, it is commonly used to display social media feeds and user-generated content on websites, making it a target for attackers aiming to compromise site visitors or administrators through malicious script injection.

For European organizations, especially those relying on WordPress websites with WP Wall installed, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Exploitation could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed in the context of the victim’s browser. This can result in data breaches, reputational damage, and potential regulatory non-compliance under GDPR due to exposure of personal data. The reflected XSS can also be used as a vector for delivering further malware or phishing attacks targeting site visitors. Organizations operating e-commerce, governmental, or public-facing informational portals are particularly vulnerable, as successful exploitation could disrupt service availability and erode user trust. The scope change in the CVSS vector suggests that the impact could extend beyond the plugin itself, potentially affecting other components or user data handled by the website. Since no authentication is required, attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely and at scale, increasing the threat level for European entities with high web traffic or sensitive user bases.

Immediate mitigation should include disabling or removing the WP Wall plugin until a security patch is released. Organizations should monitor official vendor channels and trusted vulnerability databases for updates or patches addressing CVE-2025-28968. In the interim, implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block reflected XSS payloads targeting WP Wall parameters can reduce exploitation risk. Website administrators should also review and harden input validation and output encoding practices, especially for user-supplied data displayed on pages. Employing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can help mitigate the impact of injected scripts by restricting script execution sources. Regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on XSS vulnerabilities should be conducted. Additionally, educating users about the risks of clicking suspicious links and maintaining updated backups will aid in recovery if exploitation occurs.