CVE-2025-49042 is a stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in Automattic's WooCommerce plugin for WordPress, affecting versions up to 10.0.2. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of input during web page generation, categorized under CWE-79. Stored XSS occurs when malicious scripts injected by an attacker are permanently stored on the target server, such as in a database, and later executed in the browsers of users who access the affected pages. This flaw allows an attacker with high privileges (PR:H) to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes when other users interact with the compromised content, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), but requires privileges and user interaction (UI:R), with a scope change (S:C) meaning the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a low level each, resulting in a medium overall severity score of 5.9. No public exploits are known at this time, but the vulnerability is published and should be addressed promptly. WooCommerce is widely used across e-commerce sites, making this vulnerability significant for online retail platforms. The lack of available patches at the time of reporting necessitates interim mitigations to reduce risk.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk to e-commerce platforms relying on WooCommerce, potentially exposing customer data, session tokens, and administrative controls to attackers. Stored XSS can lead to account takeover, unauthorized transactions, or defacement of web content, damaging brand reputation and customer trust. The medium severity indicates moderate risk, but the scope change means that exploitation could affect multiple users and components beyond the initial injection point. Given the prevalence of WooCommerce in European small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and larger retailers, the impact could be widespread, especially in sectors with high online sales volumes such as retail, travel, and services. Regulatory frameworks like GDPR impose strict data protection requirements, so exploitation leading to data breaches could result in legal and financial penalties. The requirement for high privileges limits the attack surface but also highlights the importance of securing administrative accounts and limiting user permissions.

1. Monitor Automattic and WooCommerce official channels for patches and apply them immediately upon release. 2. Until patches are available, implement strict input validation and sanitization on all user inputs, especially those that are stored and rendered on web pages. 3. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts. 4. Enforce the principle of least privilege by limiting administrative and user roles to only necessary permissions to reduce the risk of privilege abuse. 5. Conduct regular security audits and code reviews focusing on input handling in WooCommerce customizations or extensions. 6. Use Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules designed to detect and block XSS payloads targeting WooCommerce endpoints. 7. Educate administrators and users about phishing and social engineering risks that could facilitate exploitation. 8. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all privileged accounts to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 9. Regularly backup WooCommerce data and configurations to enable quick recovery in case of compromise.