CVE-2025-53316 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability found in the WP GDPR Cookie Consent plugin developed by Shahjahan Jewel, affecting all versions up to and including 1.0.0. The vulnerability allows an attacker to trick authenticated users into submitting malicious requests without their consent, which results in stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) payloads being injected into the affected WordPress site. This stored XSS can then be used to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further compromise of the website and its users. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 reflects a high severity due to the vulnerability's network attack vector, low complexity, no requirement for privileges, but requiring user interaction. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as attackers can manipulate cookie consent settings or inject malicious scripts that affect site behavior and user data. The plugin is widely used to ensure GDPR compliance by managing cookie consent banners and user privacy preferences, making it a critical component for many European websites. No patches or exploit code are currently publicly available, but the vulnerability is published and should be addressed promptly. The vulnerability was reserved in June 2025 and published in November 2025, indicating recent discovery and disclosure.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses significant risks due to the widespread use of WordPress and GDPR compliance requirements. Exploitation can lead to unauthorized changes in cookie consent settings, undermining user privacy and potentially violating GDPR mandates. Stored XSS can compromise user sessions, steal sensitive data, or deliver malware, impacting customer trust and leading to reputational damage. The ability to execute arbitrary scripts can also facilitate further attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network. Organizations handling personal data of EU citizens are particularly vulnerable to regulatory penalties if the vulnerability is exploited to leak or manipulate personal data. Additionally, availability may be affected if attackers disrupt cookie consent mechanisms or inject scripts that degrade site functionality. The high CVSS score underscores the critical nature of the threat, especially for public-facing websites and e-commerce platforms relying on this plugin.

1. Monitor for official patches or updates from Shahjahan Jewel and apply them immediately once released. 2. In the absence of patches, implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block CSRF and XSS attack patterns targeting the plugin endpoints. 3. Enforce strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts. 4. Restrict administrative access to the WordPress backend and plugin settings to trusted users only, using multi-factor authentication (MFA). 5. Review and harden cookie consent configurations to minimize attack surface, including disabling unnecessary features. 6. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on CSRF and XSS vectors. 7. Educate users and administrators about phishing and social engineering risks that could facilitate CSRF exploitation. 8. Consider temporary disabling or replacing the vulnerable plugin with alternative GDPR compliance tools until a secure version is available.