CVE-2025-46522 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the Billy Bryant Tabs product, affecting versions up to 4.0.3. The vulnerability allows an attacker to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of an authenticated user without their consent. Specifically, this CSRF flaw enables Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks, where malicious scripts are permanently stored on the target system and executed in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability arises because the application does not adequately verify the origin or intent of requests that modify or store data, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that, when executed by a logged-in user, result in the injection and storage of malicious scripts. These scripts can then execute arbitrary code, steal session tokens, or perform actions with the victim's privileges. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure increases the risk, although no known exploits are currently observed in the wild. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, indicating a failure to implement proper anti-CSRF protections such as tokens or origin checks. Since the vulnerability requires the victim to be authenticated and to interact with a maliciously crafted request (e.g., visiting a malicious webpage), exploitation depends on user interaction but can have significant consequences once triggered. The product Billy Bryant Tabs is typically used as a web component or plugin, potentially integrated into various web applications, which broadens the scope of affected systems depending on its deployment footprint.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to web applications that integrate the Billy Bryant Tabs component. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized actions performed with the privileges of authenticated users, including administrators, potentially resulting in data manipulation, unauthorized configuration changes, or the injection of persistent malicious scripts. Stored XSS can facilitate session hijacking, credential theft, or distribution of malware, impacting confidentiality and integrity of data. The availability impact is generally limited but could be leveraged in multi-stage attacks to disrupt services. Organizations in sectors with high reliance on web-based interfaces—such as finance, healthcare, and government—may face increased risks due to the sensitive nature of data handled. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate threat levels but does not eliminate the risk, especially as attackers may develop exploits post-disclosure. Additionally, compliance with European data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR) could be jeopardized if personal data is compromised through such attacks, leading to legal and reputational consequences.

Given the absence of official patches, European organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include deploying anti-CSRF tokens in all state-changing requests involving the Billy Bryant Tabs component to ensure request authenticity. Web application firewalls (WAFs) should be configured to detect and block suspicious CSRF and XSS payloads targeting the affected endpoints. Organizations should audit their web applications to identify all instances of the Tabs component and assess exposure. User input validation and output encoding must be enforced rigorously to prevent stored XSS payloads from executing. Additionally, enforcing strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can mitigate the impact of injected scripts. User awareness training to recognize phishing attempts and suspicious links can reduce the likelihood of user interaction with malicious requests. Monitoring logs for unusual activity related to the Tabs component and applying timely updates once patches become available are critical. Finally, consider isolating or limiting the use of the vulnerable component in high-risk environments until a secure version is released.