CVE-2025-48253 is a Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability classified under CWE-79, affecting the WordPress plugin 'Free Shipping Bar: Amount Left for Free Shipping for WooCommerce' developed by WPFactory. This vulnerability exists in versions up to and including 2.4.6. The issue arises due to improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing malicious actors to inject and store arbitrary JavaScript code within the plugin's data. When a legitimate user or administrator views the affected page, the malicious script executes in their browser context. The vulnerability is a stored XSS, meaning the malicious payload is saved on the server and served to users repeatedly, increasing the attack's persistence and impact. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.5, indicating a medium severity level. The vector string (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L) shows that the attack can be performed remotely over the network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges (authenticated user), and user interaction is necessary (e.g., clicking a link or viewing a page). The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a limited extent, with a scope change (S:C) indicating that the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. The plugin is commonly used in WooCommerce-based e-commerce sites to display dynamic free shipping progress bars, which are visible to both customers and administrators, making the vulnerability a potential vector for session hijacking, defacement, or phishing attacks within affected websites.

For European organizations, especially those operating e-commerce platforms using WooCommerce with the vulnerable Free Shipping Bar plugin, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized script execution in the browsers of customers or site administrators, potentially resulting in theft of session cookies, redirection to malicious sites, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users. This can damage customer trust, lead to data breaches involving personal or payment information, and cause reputational harm. Additionally, the scope change in the vulnerability suggests that the impact could extend beyond the plugin itself, potentially affecting other parts of the website or integrated systems. Given the widespread adoption of WooCommerce in Europe, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in retail and services sectors, the threat could disrupt business operations and compliance with GDPR due to potential data leakage. The requirement for authenticated access to exploit the vulnerability somewhat limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, as many e-commerce sites allow customer accounts or have multiple user roles with varying privileges.

European organizations should immediately audit their WooCommerce installations to identify the presence and version of the Free Shipping Bar plugin. Until an official patch is released, mitigation should include: 1) Restricting plugin usage to trusted administrators only and limiting user roles that can input data into the plugin to reduce the risk of malicious input. 2) Implementing Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block typical XSS payloads targeting the plugin's input fields. 3) Enforcing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers. 4) Conducting manual code reviews or employing security scanning tools to identify and sanitize inputs handled by the plugin if custom modifications exist. 5) Educating administrators and users about the risks of clicking suspicious links or interacting with untrusted content within the site. 6) Monitoring logs for unusual activity indicative of exploitation attempts. Once a patch is available, organizations should prioritize updating the plugin to the fixed version. Additionally, consider isolating the plugin's output or using sandboxing techniques to limit script execution scope.