CVE-2025-53324 is a stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the CodeYatri Gutenify plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.5.7. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during the generation of web pages, which allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that is stored persistently on the affected website. When other users visit the compromised pages, the malicious scripts execute in their browsers within the security context of the vulnerable site, potentially leading to session hijacking, unauthorized actions, or data theft. The vulnerability requires an attacker to have low privileges (PR:L) and some user interaction (UI:R), such as convincing a user to visit a crafted page or submit data. The CVSS vector indicates network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), partial confidentiality and integrity impact (C:L/I:L), no availability impact (A:N), and scope change (S:C), meaning the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the initially compromised component. No public exploits are known at this time, but the presence of stored XSS in a widely used WordPress plugin poses a significant risk if weaponized. The lack of a patch link suggests that a fix may not yet be publicly available, emphasizing the need for proactive mitigation. The vulnerability was reserved in June 2025 and published in November 2025, indicating recent discovery and disclosure.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to websites using the Gutenify plugin for WordPress, which is popular for building and managing content-rich sites. Exploitation can lead to theft of user credentials, session tokens, or other sensitive information, compromising user privacy and potentially enabling further attacks such as privilege escalation or data manipulation. The integrity of website content can be undermined, damaging organizational reputation and trust. Although availability is not directly impacted, the indirect effects of data breaches or defacement can cause operational disruptions and regulatory scrutiny under GDPR. Organizations in sectors with high web presence, such as e-commerce, media, and public services, are particularly vulnerable. The requirement for some user interaction and low privilege access reduces the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with many authenticated users or contributors. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for mitigation before widespread exploitation occurs.

1. Monitor official CodeYatri Gutenify plugin channels for security patches and apply updates promptly once available. 2. Until a patch is released, restrict plugin usage to trusted users and limit permissions to reduce the risk of malicious input submission. 3. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on all user-supplied data fields to prevent injection of executable scripts. 4. Employ output encoding techniques when rendering user content to neutralize potentially malicious characters. 5. Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of XSS attacks. 6. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on web application vulnerabilities, including XSS. 7. Educate users and administrators about phishing and social engineering tactics that could facilitate exploitation. 8. Utilize Web Application Firewalls (WAF) with rules targeting XSS patterns to detect and block attack attempts. 9. Review and harden user authentication and session management mechanisms to limit the damage from stolen credentials. 10. Maintain comprehensive logging and monitoring to detect suspicious activities related to this vulnerability.