CVE-2025-48317 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability (CWE-35) identified in the Stefan Keller WooCommerce Payment Gateway for Saferpay plugin. This plugin integrates the Saferpay payment system into WooCommerce, a widely used e-commerce platform on WordPress. The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to perform a path traversal attack due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input that is used to access files on the server. Specifically, the attacker can manipulate file path parameters to access arbitrary files outside the intended directory structure. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 reflects that the attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires no privileges (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N), with a high impact on confidentiality (C:H) but no impact on integrity or availability. This means an attacker can read sensitive files on the server, potentially exposing configuration files, credentials, or other sensitive data, without modifying or disrupting the system. The vulnerability affects all versions of the plugin up to 0.4.9, with no patch currently available as of the published date (September 5, 2025). No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, but the ease of exploitation and the critical nature of the data accessible make this a significant threat. The lack of authentication and user interaction requirements increases the risk of automated exploitation attempts. Given the plugin’s role in payment processing, exposure of sensitive payment or configuration data could lead to further compromise or fraud.

For European organizations using WooCommerce with the Stefan Keller Payment Gateway for Saferpay, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality of sensitive data. Attackers could access payment processing credentials, API keys, or customer data stored on the server, potentially leading to financial fraud, identity theft, or regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations). The exposure of configuration files could also facilitate further attacks, such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network. Since WooCommerce is widely adopted by small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe for online retail, the threat surface is broad. The financial sector and e-commerce businesses are particularly at risk due to the sensitive nature of payment data. Additionally, the breach of customer data could damage brand reputation and result in legal penalties under European data protection laws. The vulnerability’s network accessibility and lack of required privileges mean attackers can exploit it remotely without prior access, increasing the urgency for mitigation.

1. Immediate mitigation should include disabling or removing the Stefan Keller WooCommerce Payment Gateway for Saferpay plugin until a patch is released. 2. Monitor web server logs for suspicious requests containing path traversal patterns (e.g., '../' sequences) targeting the plugin endpoints. 3. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block path traversal attempts specifically targeting WooCommerce plugin paths. 4. Restrict file system permissions for the web server user to limit access to sensitive directories and files, minimizing the impact of any traversal attempts. 5. Conduct a thorough audit of server files and configurations to identify any unauthorized access or data exfiltration. 6. Once a patch is available, apply it promptly and verify the fix through testing. 7. Educate development and security teams about secure coding practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities, emphasizing input validation and sanitization. 8. Consider isolating payment processing components in a segmented environment to reduce the blast radius of potential exploits.