CVE-2025-52737 is a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability found in the WP Store Locator plugin for WordPress, developed by Tijmen Smit. This vulnerability allows an attacker to perform object injection by sending maliciously crafted serialized data to the plugin. Deserialization vulnerabilities occur when untrusted input is deserialized without proper validation, enabling attackers to manipulate the deserialized objects to execute arbitrary code or commands. The affected versions include all releases up to 2.2.260. The CVSS v3.1 score is 8.8, indicating a high severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, requiring low privileges but no user interaction, and impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Exploiting this vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain unauthorized access, execute arbitrary PHP code, modify or delete data, or disrupt service availability. Although no public exploits are currently known, the nature of the vulnerability and its high severity make it a significant risk for WordPress sites using this plugin, especially those exposing the plugin functionality to external users or the internet. The vulnerability was reserved in June 2025 and published in October 2025, with no patch links currently available, indicating that remediation may still be pending or in progress.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be severe, particularly for businesses relying on WordPress for e-commerce, retail, or location-based services that use the WP Store Locator plugin. Successful exploitation can lead to full system compromise, data breaches involving customer or business data, defacement of websites, and service outages. This can result in financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties under GDPR due to unauthorized data access or loss. The vulnerability’s low complexity and network attack vector mean attackers can exploit it remotely with minimal effort, increasing the risk of widespread attacks. Organizations with limited security monitoring or outdated WordPress environments are especially vulnerable. The lack of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation before active exploitation occurs.

1. Monitor official sources and the plugin vendor for patches or updates addressing CVE-2025-52737 and apply them immediately upon release. 2. Until patches are available, restrict access to the WP Store Locator plugin functionality by limiting permissions to trusted users only and implementing web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious serialized payloads. 3. Disable or remove the WP Store Locator plugin if it is not essential to reduce the attack surface. 4. Conduct thorough security audits and vulnerability scans on WordPress installations to identify presence of the vulnerable plugin version. 5. Implement strict input validation and sanitization at the application level where possible to prevent malicious serialized data processing. 6. Enhance monitoring and logging to detect anomalous activities indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unexpected PHP object deserialization or unusual plugin behavior. 7. Educate administrators on the risks of deserialization vulnerabilities and the importance of timely updates and least privilege principles. 8. Consider isolating WordPress environments or using containerization to limit potential damage from exploitation.