CVE-2025-49038 is a high-severity reflected Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the Soflyy WP Dynamic Links plugin for WordPress, affecting versions up to 1.0.1. The vulnerability arises due to improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, specifically allowing malicious scripts to be injected and reflected back to users without adequate sanitization or encoding. This flaw falls under CWE-79, which covers improper input validation leading to XSS attacks. Exploitation requires no privileges (no authentication needed) but does require user interaction, such as clicking a crafted link. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 reflects the network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction needed, and a scope change, with low impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability individually but combined to a high overall impact. Reflected XSS can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the victim’s browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, redirection to malicious sites, or other malicious actions. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability’s presence in a WordPress plugin that dynamically generates links makes it a significant risk, especially given WordPress’s widespread use. The lack of available patches at the time of publication increases the urgency for mitigation. The vulnerability’s exploitation scope includes any website running the affected WP Dynamic Links plugin versions, exposing site visitors to risk if they interact with maliciously crafted URLs.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a considerable risk, particularly for businesses and institutions relying on WordPress websites with the WP Dynamic Links plugin installed. Successful exploitation could lead to compromised user sessions, unauthorized actions on behalf of users, and potential data leakage. This can damage organizational reputation, lead to regulatory non-compliance under GDPR due to personal data exposure, and cause operational disruptions if attackers leverage XSS to deliver further payloads or phishing attacks. The reflected XSS nature means attacks often target end-users, including customers or employees accessing the affected websites, potentially leading to broader organizational compromise. Given the high adoption rate of WordPress in Europe across sectors like e-commerce, media, and public services, the impact could be widespread. Additionally, attackers might exploit this vulnerability as an initial vector to escalate attacks or conduct social engineering campaigns targeting European users.

Immediate mitigation should focus on disabling or removing the WP Dynamic Links plugin until a security patch is released by Soflyy. Website administrators should monitor official Soflyy channels for updates and apply patches promptly once available. In the interim, implementing Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious input patterns related to the plugin’s URL parameters can reduce risk. Employing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can help mitigate the impact of injected scripts by restricting script execution sources. Additionally, website owners should conduct thorough input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data, especially in dynamic link generation contexts. Educating users to avoid clicking suspicious links and monitoring web server logs for unusual request patterns can aid in early detection. Regular security audits and vulnerability scanning focused on WordPress plugins are recommended to identify similar issues proactively.