CVE-2025-48088 is a stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability categorized under CWE-79, found in the Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder plugin developed by Brainstorm Force. This vulnerability results from improper neutralization of input during web page generation, allowing an attacker to inject malicious scripts that are stored and later executed in the context of users visiting the affected website. The flaw affects all versions prior to 3.21.1 of the plugin. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 reflects a medium severity, with the vector indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L), user interaction (UI:R), and a scope change (S:C) that affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a limited extent (C:L/I:L/A:L). Exploitation requires an attacker to have some level of authenticated access to inject the payload and relies on user interaction to trigger the malicious script execution. The vulnerability can lead to theft of session cookies, defacement, or redirection to malicious sites, potentially compromising user data and site integrity. Although no known exploits are reported in the wild, the widespread use of WPBakery Page Builder and its addons in WordPress sites makes this a significant risk. The vulnerability was reserved in May 2025 and published in October 2025, with no patch links currently available, indicating that remediation may still be pending or in progress.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk to websites built on WordPress using the Ultimate Addons for WPBakery Page Builder plugin. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized script execution in users' browsers, resulting in session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users. This can damage organizational reputation, lead to data breaches involving personal or financial information, and disrupt website availability or integrity. Sectors such as e-commerce, media, and government websites are particularly vulnerable due to their reliance on WordPress and the potential value of compromised data. The medium severity score suggests moderate impact, but the scope change means that the vulnerability could affect multiple users and components beyond the initial target. Given the requirement for some privileges and user interaction, the risk is somewhat mitigated but still significant, especially for organizations with large user bases or those lacking robust security controls. Failure to address this vulnerability could also lead to compliance issues under GDPR if personal data is compromised.

1. Monitor Brainstorm Force and WPBakery official channels for the release of a security patch for version 3.21.1 or later and apply it immediately upon availability. 2. Until a patch is available, restrict access to the plugin’s administrative interfaces to trusted users only and enforce strong authentication mechanisms. 3. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on all user inputs, especially those processed by the plugin, to prevent malicious script injection. 4. Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of potential XSS attacks. 5. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on WordPress plugins and addons to detect similar vulnerabilities proactively. 6. Educate users and administrators about the risks of clicking on suspicious links or interacting with untrusted content that could trigger stored XSS payloads. 7. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules tailored to detect and block XSS attack patterns targeting WordPress plugins. 8. Maintain comprehensive logging and monitoring to detect unusual activities that may indicate exploitation attempts.