CVE-2025-60176 identifies a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in the WP Tesseract plugin developed by tattersoftware, affecting all versions up to and including 1.0.2. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during the generation of web pages, which allows an attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code that is stored persistently on the affected site. This stored XSS can be triggered when a victim user views the compromised page, potentially leading to session hijacking, defacement, or redirection to malicious sites. The CVSS 3.1 vector indicates 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). No public exploits are currently known, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating the need for vigilance. The vulnerability is particularly relevant for websites using WP Tesseract for content management or other web functionalities, as attackers with administrative access can embed malicious scripts that affect other users.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for those relying on WP Tesseract in their WordPress environments. Stored XSS can lead to unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users, theft of sensitive information such as authentication cookies, and potential defacement or disruption of web services. This can damage organizational reputation, lead to data breaches, and cause compliance issues under regulations like GDPR. Since exploitation requires high privileges and user interaction, internal threat actors or compromised administrators pose a notable risk. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not critical, it still presents a meaningful threat vector that could be leveraged in targeted attacks or combined with other vulnerabilities for greater impact.

Organizations should immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify the presence of WP Tesseract plugin versions up to 1.0.2. Until an official patch is released, restrict administrative access to trusted personnel only and enforce strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on all user inputs, especially those that are stored and rendered in web pages. Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts. Regularly monitor logs and user activity for signs of suspicious behavior indicative of XSS exploitation attempts. Consider using web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules tailored to detect and block XSS payloads. Finally, stay updated with vendor advisories and apply patches promptly once available.