CVE-2025-53199 is a medium-severity vulnerability classified under CWE-79, which corresponds to Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, commonly known as Cross-site Scripting (XSS). This specific vulnerability affects the HT Slider For Elementor plugin, a WordPress plugin used to create sliders within the Elementor page builder environment. The vulnerability allows for DOM-based XSS attacks, meaning that malicious scripts can be injected and executed in the context of a user's browser when interacting with the affected plugin's generated web pages. The flaw arises because the plugin fails to properly sanitize or neutralize user-supplied input before incorporating it into the Document Object Model (DOM), enabling attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code. The CVSS 3.1 score of 6.5 reflects a medium severity, with the vector indicating that the attack can be performed remotely over the network (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), but does require privileges (PR:L) and user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), meaning the vulnerability affects components beyond the vulnerable component itself, and the impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a limited extent (C:L/I:L/A:L). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches are linked yet. The vulnerability affects all versions up to 1.6.5 of the HT Slider For Elementor plugin.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to websites using WordPress with the HT Slider For Elementor plugin installed. Exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the browsers of site visitors or authenticated users, potentially leading to session hijacking, defacement, redirection to malicious sites, or theft of sensitive information such as cookies or credentials. Given that the attack requires user interaction and some level of privilege, the impact is somewhat mitigated but still significant, especially for organizations relying on the affected plugin for customer-facing or internal portals. The vulnerability could undermine user trust, lead to data leakage, and facilitate further attacks such as phishing or malware distribution. For sectors with strict data protection regulations like GDPR, any compromise of personal data confidentiality could result in regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Additionally, the scope change indicates that the vulnerability may affect other components or users beyond the immediate plugin context, increasing the potential impact.

European organizations should prioritize the following specific actions: 1) Immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify the presence of the HT Slider For Elementor plugin and confirm the version in use. 2) Since no official patches are currently linked, monitor the vendor’s announcements and trusted vulnerability databases for updates or patches and apply them promptly once available. 3) Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules tailored to detect and block typical DOM-based XSS payloads targeting the plugin’s endpoints or parameters. 4) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers, reducing the risk of successful exploitation. 5) Conduct user awareness training to reduce the risk from social engineering or phishing attempts that might trigger the required user interaction. 6) Review and harden user privilege assignments in WordPress to minimize the number of users with elevated rights, limiting the attack surface. 7) Consider temporarily disabling or replacing the plugin with alternative solutions if immediate patching is not feasible. 8) Regularly scan and monitor web application logs for suspicious activities indicative of attempted exploitation.