CVE-2025-5532 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the Campus Directory – Faculty, Staff & Student Directory Plugin for WordPress developed by emarket-design. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.9.0 of the plugin. The root cause is improper neutralization of input during web page generation, specifically insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied attributes within the plugin's 'emd_mb_meta' shortcode. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level privileges or higher can exploit this flaw by injecting arbitrary malicious scripts into pages generated by the plugin. These scripts are stored persistently and executed whenever any user accesses the compromised page, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or other malicious activities. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.4, indicating a medium severity level. The attack vector is network-based with low attack complexity, requiring privileges equivalent to contributor access but no user interaction is needed for exploitation. The scope is changed, meaning the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the initially compromised component. No known public exploits have been reported yet, and no patches are currently linked, which suggests that organizations using this plugin should prioritize mitigation steps promptly to prevent exploitation.

For European organizations, especially educational institutions and universities that commonly use WordPress plugins like the Campus Directory for managing faculty, staff, and student information, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized script execution in the context of the affected websites, enabling attackers to steal session cookies, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of legitimate users. This can damage institutional reputation, lead to data breaches involving personal information of students and staff, and potentially disrupt critical academic services. Since the vulnerability requires contributor-level access, insider threats or compromised accounts could be leveraged to exploit this flaw. The persistent nature of stored XSS also increases the risk of widespread impact as multiple users accessing the infected pages can be affected. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe and the critical nature of educational portals, the impact could be substantial if not mitigated timely.

European organizations should immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify if the Campus Directory – Faculty, Staff & Student Directory Plugin by emarket-design is in use and verify the version. Until an official patch is released, organizations should consider the following specific mitigations: 1) Restrict contributor-level access strictly to trusted users and review user permissions to minimize the number of accounts with such privileges. 2) Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious input patterns related to the 'emd_mb_meta' shortcode parameters. 3) Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts on affected pages. 4) Conduct regular security scanning and monitoring for anomalous activities or injected scripts within the WordPress environment. 5) Educate site administrators and contributors about the risks of injecting untrusted content and enforce strict content validation policies. 6) Monitor official vendor channels for patch releases and apply updates immediately once available. 7) Consider temporary disabling or removing the vulnerable plugin if feasible until a secure version is released.