CVE-2025-52797 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the josepsitjar StoryMap product, specifically versions up to 2.1. The vulnerability is classified as a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) issue (CWE-352) that enables an attacker to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of an authenticated user. Uniquely, this CSRF vulnerability facilitates an SQL Injection attack, allowing the attacker to manipulate backend database queries. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2 reflects the critical nature of this flaw, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), but requiring user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), indicating that the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact on confidentiality is high (C:H), while integrity is not impacted (I:N), and availability impact is low (A:L). The vulnerability allows an attacker to trick a user into submitting a malicious request that executes SQL commands on the backend database, potentially exposing sensitive data or enabling further exploitation. No patches or known exploits in the wild are currently reported, but the vulnerability's nature suggests a significant risk if exploited. The lack of a patch link indicates that remediation may still be pending or in development. The vulnerability affects StoryMap, a product used for creating interactive maps and storytelling, which may be deployed in various organizational contexts.

For European organizations using StoryMap, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk to data confidentiality due to the SQL Injection enabled by CSRF. Attackers could exfiltrate sensitive information from databases, including personal data protected under GDPR, leading to compliance violations and reputational damage. The altered scope means that the attack could affect multiple components or services beyond the immediate application, potentially impacting integrated systems. The requirement for user interaction implies phishing or social engineering tactics could be employed, increasing the risk in environments with less security awareness. The low availability impact suggests service disruption is less likely, but data breaches remain a critical concern. Organizations in sectors such as government, education, and media—where StoryMap might be used for public-facing content—are particularly vulnerable to data leaks and trust erosion. Additionally, the lack of patches means organizations must rely on mitigations until official fixes are available, increasing exposure duration.

European organizations should implement strict CSRF protections immediately, such as enforcing anti-CSRF tokens on all state-changing requests within StoryMap. Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) can be configured to detect and block suspicious request patterns indicative of CSRF or SQL Injection attempts. Network segmentation should isolate StoryMap instances from critical backend databases to limit attack surface. User training to recognize phishing attempts can reduce the risk of user interaction exploitation. Monitoring and logging of database queries and application requests should be enhanced to detect anomalous activities early. Until patches are released, consider disabling or restricting StoryMap features that allow user input affecting database queries or deploying temporary access controls limiting StoryMap usage to trusted internal users. Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing focused on CSRF and SQL Injection vectors in StoryMap deployments are recommended to identify and remediate weaknesses proactively.