CVE-2025-49053 is a Stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the WordPress plugin 'WP Airdrop Manager' developed by kadesthemes. This vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of input during web page generation, classified under CWE-79. Specifically, the plugin fails to adequately sanitize or encode user-supplied input before rendering it on web pages, allowing malicious actors to inject and store arbitrary JavaScript code. When other users or administrators access the affected pages, the malicious script executes in their browsers within the context of the vulnerable site. The affected versions include all releases up to and including version 1.0.5, with no earlier version specified. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.9, indicating a medium severity level. The vector details (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L) show that the attack can be performed remotely over the network with low attack complexity but requires high privileges and user interaction. The scope is changed, meaning the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a limited extent. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been published yet. Stored XSS vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins are particularly dangerous because they can lead to session hijacking, privilege escalation, defacement, or distribution of malware to site visitors. Given that WP Airdrop Manager is used to manage airdrop campaigns, attackers could leverage this vulnerability to manipulate campaign data or target administrators and users with malicious payloads embedded in the plugin's interface.

For European organizations using the WP Airdrop Manager plugin, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized script execution in the context of the affected website, potentially compromising administrator accounts or leaking sensitive information. This could disrupt marketing or promotional campaigns managed via the plugin, damage organizational reputation, and lead to regulatory compliance issues under GDPR if personal data is exposed. The requirement for high privileges to exploit reduces the risk of external attackers but raises concerns about insider threats or compromised administrator accounts. Additionally, the changed scope means that the impact could extend beyond the plugin itself, affecting other parts of the website or integrated systems. European organizations relying on WordPress for public-facing sites or internal portals that use this plugin should consider the risk of data integrity loss, session hijacking, and availability degradation due to malicious scripts. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate risk but does not preclude targeted attacks, especially in sensitive sectors such as finance, healthcare, or government.

To mitigate this vulnerability effectively, European organizations should: 1) Immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify if WP Airdrop Manager is installed and determine the version in use. 2) Restrict administrative privileges to trusted personnel only, implementing strict access controls and multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of privilege abuse. 3) Monitor and sanitize all inputs related to the plugin manually until an official patch is released, potentially applying custom filters or using Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) to detect and block malicious payloads targeting the plugin's input fields. 4) Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts on affected pages. 5) Regularly review logs for suspicious activities or unusual input patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. 6) Engage with the plugin vendor or community to track patch releases and apply updates promptly once available. 7) Consider isolating the plugin's functionality or disabling it temporarily if it is not critical to operations until a fix is deployed. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on privilege management, input filtering, and proactive monitoring tailored to the plugin's context.