CVE-2025-53466 is a medium severity vulnerability classified under CWE-79, which refers to Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, commonly known as Cross-site Scripting (XSS). This vulnerability affects the CodeSolz product "Better Find and Replace" up to version 1.7.6. The issue allows for Stored XSS attacks, where malicious scripts injected by an attacker are permanently stored on the target system and executed when a user accesses the affected web page. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.9, indicating a medium level of severity. The vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L reveals that the attack can be performed remotely over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), but requires high privileges (PR:H) and user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), meaning the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is low to medium (C:L/I:L/A:L). Stored XSS vulnerabilities can be exploited to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, defacement, or redirection to malicious sites. Since the vulnerability requires high privileges and user interaction, exploitation is somewhat limited to users with elevated access who interact with the malicious payload. No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, and no patches are currently linked, indicating that mitigation may rely on vendor updates or configuration changes once available.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends on the extent of usage of the CodeSolz Better Find and Replace plugin, which is typically used in content management or website maintenance contexts. If deployed, attackers with high privileges could inject malicious scripts that affect other users or administrators, potentially leading to compromised credentials, unauthorized actions, or data leakage. The vulnerability's ability to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability, albeit at a low to medium level, means that sensitive data could be exposed or altered, and website functionality could be disrupted. Given the scope change, the vulnerability might allow attackers to impact other components or users beyond the initially affected module. European organizations with web-facing applications using this plugin, especially those with multiple administrators or editors, are at risk. The requirement for high privileges limits exploitation to insiders or attackers who have already gained elevated access, which somewhat reduces the risk but does not eliminate it. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate threat but does not preclude future attacks once exploit code becomes available.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting access to the Better Find and Replace plugin to only trusted administrators and limiting the number of users with high privileges. 2. Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data within the plugin, especially for fields that are rendered in web pages. 3. Monitor and audit logs for unusual activity related to the plugin, such as unexpected script injections or changes. 4. Apply the principle of least privilege to reduce the number of users who can exploit this vulnerability. 5. Since no patch is currently linked, maintain close communication with CodeSolz for updates or security advisories and apply patches promptly once available. 6. Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block common XSS payloads targeting this plugin. 7. Educate administrators and users about the risks of clicking on suspicious links or executing untrusted scripts, as user interaction is required for exploitation. 8. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on web application vulnerabilities including stored XSS.