CVE-2025-5530 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the WPC Smart Compare for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress, specifically versions up to and including 6.4.6. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79), where the plugin fails to adequately sanitize and escape user-supplied attributes in the 'shortcode_btn' shortcode. This flaw allows authenticated users with contributor-level privileges or higher to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into pages. Because the injected scripts are stored and executed whenever any user accesses the compromised page, this can lead to persistent XSS attacks. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond visiting the affected page and does not require administrator privileges, only contributor-level access. The CVSS v3.1 score is 6.4 (medium severity), with an attack vector of network, low attack complexity, privileges required at the low level, no user interaction needed, and a scope change indicating that the vulnerability affects components beyond the initially vulnerable one. The impact includes limited confidentiality and integrity loss, with no availability impact. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability is significant because WooCommerce is a widely used e-commerce platform, and the WPC Smart Compare plugin is popular for product comparison features, making many online stores potentially vulnerable to persistent XSS attacks that could lead to session hijacking, defacement, or redirection to malicious sites.

For European organizations, especially those operating e-commerce websites using WordPress with WooCommerce and the WPC Smart Compare plugin, this vulnerability poses a tangible risk. Attackers with contributor-level access—such as content editors or external collaborators—could exploit this flaw to inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of site visitors, including customers and administrators. This could lead to theft of session cookies, unauthorized actions on behalf of users, defacement of web pages, or distribution of malware. The persistent nature of the XSS increases the risk as the malicious code remains active until removed. Given the GDPR and other data protection regulations in Europe, exploitation leading to data leakage or unauthorized access could result in regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Moreover, e-commerce sites are critical for business revenue, so any compromise affecting customer trust or site integrity can have significant financial consequences. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not trivial, it is also not the most critical, but still demands timely remediation to prevent exploitation.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting contributor-level privileges to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of malicious input. 2. Site administrators should monitor and audit content submitted via the 'shortcode_btn' shortcode for suspicious or unexpected scripts. 3. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that detect and block common XSS payloads targeting this plugin's shortcode parameters. 4. Until an official patch is released, consider disabling or removing the WPC Smart Compare plugin if feasible, or replacing it with alternative comparison plugins that have no known vulnerabilities. 5. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of inline scripts and reduce the impact of any injected scripts. 6. Regularly update WordPress core, plugins, and themes to the latest versions once patches become available. 7. Educate content contributors about the risks of injecting untrusted code and enforce input validation policies at the application level where possible.