CVE-2025-3513 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the SureForms WordPress plugin versions prior to 1.4.4. The vulnerability arises because the plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape certain form settings. This flaw allows users with high privileges, such as administrators, to inject malicious scripts into the plugin's stored data. Notably, this vulnerability can be exploited even when the WordPress capability 'unfiltered_html' is disabled, which is a common security measure in multisite WordPress installations to restrict HTML input. The attack vector requires high privilege (admin-level) access and user interaction, as the malicious script is stored and executed when the affected form settings are viewed or processed. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity by enabling script injection that could lead to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or unauthorized actions within the WordPress admin environment. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 3.5, indicating a low severity level primarily due to the requirement for high privileges and user interaction. There are no known exploits in the wild, and no patches or vendor details are currently available, which suggests that the plugin vendor may be unknown or the plugin is less widely maintained. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-79, which is a common web application security weakness related to improper neutralization of input leading to XSS attacks.

For European organizations using WordPress sites with the SureForms plugin, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to administrative users who have the ability to modify form settings. If exploited, attackers could inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of the WordPress admin dashboard or potentially affect site visitors if the stored scripts are rendered publicly. This could lead to unauthorized actions such as changing site configurations, stealing session cookies, or deploying further attacks within the network. Although the vulnerability requires admin-level access, the impact on confidentiality and integrity is notable, especially for organizations with sensitive data or critical web infrastructure. Given the low CVSS score and absence of known exploits, the immediate risk is limited; however, in environments where privilege escalation or credential compromise is possible, this vulnerability could be leveraged as part of a broader attack chain. European organizations operating multisite WordPress installations or those with strict content filtering relying on 'unfiltered_html' restrictions should be particularly cautious, as the vulnerability bypasses these controls. The overall availability impact is negligible, but the potential for data compromise or unauthorized administrative actions warrants attention.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting admin access strictly to trusted personnel and enforcing strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of privilege abuse. 2. Monitor and audit changes to form settings within the SureForms plugin to detect any unauthorized or suspicious modifications. 3. Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of injected scripts and reduce the impact of XSS attacks. 4. Until an official patch or update is available, consider disabling or removing the SureForms plugin if it is not critical to operations. 5. For organizations that must continue using the plugin, apply manual input sanitization or escaping at the application or web server level where feasible, such as using web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block malicious payloads targeting form settings. 6. Regularly update WordPress core and other plugins to minimize the attack surface and stay informed about vendor advisories regarding SureForms. 7. Conduct security awareness training for administrators to recognize and avoid actions that could inadvertently trigger or exploit this vulnerability.