CVE-2025-53296 is a security vulnerability classified as CWE-79, which corresponds to Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, commonly known as Cross-site Scripting (XSS). This vulnerability affects the ecoal95 EC Stars Rating product, specifically versions up to 1.0.11. The flaw allows an attacker to inject malicious scripts that are stored persistently (Stored XSS) within the application. When a legitimate user accesses the affected web pages, the malicious script executes in their browser context. This can lead to unauthorized actions such as session hijacking, defacement, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), but does require the attacker to have some privileges (PR:H) and user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), meaning the vulnerability affects resources beyond the vulnerable component. 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 have been linked yet. The vulnerability was published on June 27, 2025, and is rated with a CVSS 3.1 score of 5.9, indicating a medium severity level. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input sanitization or encoding during web page generation, allowing malicious payloads to be stored and later executed in users' browsers.

For European organizations using the ecoal95 EC Stars Rating plugin or component, this vulnerability poses a risk of client-side attacks that can compromise user sessions, steal sensitive information, or manipulate displayed content. Since the vulnerability is stored XSS, it can affect multiple users over time, increasing the risk of widespread impact. Organizations in sectors with high web traffic or those relying on user trust (e.g., e-commerce, finance, government portals) are particularly vulnerable. The requirement for attacker privileges and user interaction somewhat limits the ease of exploitation, but insider threats or compromised accounts could be leveraged to exploit this flaw. Additionally, the scope change indicates that the vulnerability could affect other components or services relying on the EC Stars Rating, potentially amplifying the impact. The confidentiality and integrity of user data could be compromised, and availability could be degraded if malicious scripts disrupt normal operations. Given the interconnected nature of European digital services and strict data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR), exploitation could also lead to regulatory and reputational consequences.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Immediately audit their use of the EC Stars Rating component and identify affected versions (up to 1.0.11). 2) Apply any available patches or updates from ecoal95 as soon as they are released. In the absence of official patches, implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block malicious input patterns targeting the rating component. 3) Employ strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data, especially those rendered in the EC Stars Rating interface. 4) Conduct thorough code reviews and penetration testing focusing on XSS vectors within the affected application areas. 5) Enforce least privilege principles to reduce the risk of attackers gaining the necessary privileges to exploit the vulnerability. 6) Educate users and administrators about the risks of clicking on suspicious links or interacting with untrusted content. 7) Monitor logs and user activity for signs of exploitation attempts or anomalous behavior related to the rating system. 8) Consider isolating or sandboxing the EC Stars Rating component to limit the scope of potential attacks until a patch is available.