CVE-2025-46524 is a security vulnerability identified in the WordPress plugin 'WP Filter Post Category' developed by stesvis. The vulnerability is classified as a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) issue (CWE-352) that enables an attacker to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of an authenticated user. Specifically, this CSRF vulnerability can be exploited to inject Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) payloads into the plugin's functionality. Stored XSS occurs when malicious scripts are permanently stored on the target server (e.g., in a database) and executed in the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or data theft. The affected versions include all versions up to 2.1.4, with no minimum version specified. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond the victim being authenticated and visiting a malicious page controlled by the attacker. No patches or fixes have been published at the time of reporting, and no known exploits are currently observed in the wild. The vulnerability was reserved and published on April 24, 2025, and has been enriched by CISA, indicating recognition by cybersecurity authorities. The plugin is used within WordPress environments to filter posts by category, which suggests that websites relying on this plugin for content filtering or categorization are at risk. Exploitation could allow attackers to inject persistent malicious scripts that affect site visitors or administrators, potentially compromising site integrity and user data confidentiality.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for those relying on WordPress websites that utilize the WP Filter Post Category plugin. Stored XSS combined with CSRF can lead to unauthorized actions performed with the privileges of authenticated users, including administrators. This can result in website defacement, theft of user credentials, session hijacking, and unauthorized data access or modification. Organizations in sectors such as e-commerce, government, healthcare, and media, which often rely on WordPress for content management, could face reputational damage, regulatory penalties under GDPR for data breaches, and operational disruptions. The vulnerability could also serve as a foothold for further attacks within the network if administrative credentials are compromised. Since no patches are currently available, the window of exposure remains open, increasing the risk of exploitation once public proof-of-concept or exploit code emerges. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate risk but does not preclude future attacks. The medium severity rating reflects the moderate complexity of exploitation (requiring an authenticated user) but significant potential impact on confidentiality and integrity.

Given the lack of available patches, European organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include: 1) Restricting administrative access to trusted networks and IP addresses to reduce the risk of CSRF exploitation by limiting attacker reach. 2) Implementing Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious CSRF and XSS payloads targeting the plugin's endpoints. 3) Enforcing strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate the impact of stored XSS by restricting script execution sources. 4) Conducting user awareness training to recognize phishing attempts that could lead to CSRF attacks. 5) Monitoring web server and application logs for unusual POST requests or parameter tampering related to the plugin. 6) Temporarily disabling or removing the WP Filter Post Category plugin if feasible until a patch is released. 7) Ensuring WordPress core and other plugins are up-to-date to minimize the attack surface. 8) Applying multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrative accounts to reduce the risk of credential misuse. These targeted measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on the specific attack vectors and plugin behavior.