CVE-2025-57982 is a Stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the WPBean Advance Portfolio Grid plugin, affecting versions up to 1.07.6. This vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of input during web page generation, classified under CWE-79. Specifically, the plugin fails to adequately sanitize or encode user-supplied input before rendering it on web pages, allowing malicious actors to inject and persist arbitrary JavaScript code within the portfolio grid content. When other users or administrators view the affected pages, the malicious script executes in their browsers under the context of the vulnerable site. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.9 (medium severity), with vector metrics indicating network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring high privileges (PR:H) and user interaction (UI:R), and a scope change (S:C). The impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a low level. Stored XSS can be leveraged for session hijacking, privilege escalation, defacement, or delivering further payloads such as malware. Although no known exploits are currently in the wild, the vulnerability's presence in a popular WordPress plugin used for portfolio display makes it a notable risk, especially for websites with multiple users or administrators. The lack of a published patch at the time of disclosure increases the urgency for mitigation.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk, particularly for businesses and agencies using WordPress sites with the Advance Portfolio Grid plugin to showcase portfolios or projects. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to user sessions, theft of sensitive data, or manipulation of website content, undermining trust and potentially violating data protection regulations such as GDPR if personal data is compromised. The scope change in the CVSS vector indicates that exploitation could affect components beyond the vulnerable plugin, potentially impacting the entire website's security posture. Organizations with high-privilege users interacting with the affected plugin are at greater risk. Additionally, reputational damage and operational disruption could occur if attackers use the vulnerability to deface websites or distribute malicious content to visitors. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe and the importance of web presence for many sectors, this vulnerability warrants prompt attention.

1. Immediate mitigation involves disabling or removing the WPBean Advance Portfolio Grid plugin until a security patch is available. 2. Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of XSS attacks. 3. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules targeting XSS payloads to detect and block malicious requests. 4. Conduct a thorough audit of all user-generated content within the portfolio grid to identify and remove any injected scripts. 5. Limit high-privilege user access to the WordPress admin panel and enforce strong authentication mechanisms, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). 6. Monitor logs for unusual activities related to the plugin or user sessions. 7. Once available, promptly apply official patches or updates from WPBean. 8. Educate administrators and content creators about the risks of XSS and safe content handling practices. These measures, combined, reduce the attack surface and mitigate potential exploitation until a permanent fix is deployed.