CVE-2025-62937 identifies a stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Johnny Post List Featured Image plugin, specifically in the post-list-featured-image component. This vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during the generation of web pages, allowing malicious scripts to be stored and later executed in the context of users viewing the affected pages. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 0.5.9. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.4 (medium severity), with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L), and user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), indicating that exploitation affects resources beyond the vulnerable component. The impact affects confidentiality and integrity partially (C:L, I:L), with no impact on availability (A:N). Exploitation requires an attacker to have some level of authenticated access and to trick a user into interacting with the malicious content. Stored XSS can lead to session hijacking, defacement, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users. No patches or known exploits are currently reported, but the vulnerability is publicly disclosed and should be addressed promptly. The vulnerability is assigned by Patchstack and published on 2025-10-27.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to websites using the Johnny Post List Featured Image plugin, commonly deployed in WordPress environments. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the browsers of site visitors or administrators, potentially leading to theft of session tokens, unauthorized actions, or defacement. This can undermine user trust, violate data protection regulations such as GDPR due to potential data leakage, and cause reputational damage. Since the vulnerability requires authenticated access and user interaction, internal users or contributors with limited privileges could be leveraged as attack vectors, increasing insider threat risks. The partial compromise of confidentiality and integrity could affect sensitive content management workflows and customer data. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe, especially in sectors like media, e-commerce, and public services, the impact could be significant if left unmitigated.

1. Monitor for and apply official patches or updates from the Johnny plugin developers as soon as they become available. 2. Until patches are released, restrict user roles and permissions to minimize the number of users who can submit content that is rendered by the vulnerable component. 3. Implement strict input validation and sanitization on all user inputs related to the post-list-featured-image feature, using server-side controls where possible. 4. Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers. 5. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on XSS vulnerabilities in web applications. 6. Educate users and administrators about phishing and social engineering risks to reduce the likelihood of successful user interaction exploitation. 7. Use Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules designed to detect and block XSS payloads targeting this plugin. 8. Monitor logs for suspicious activities related to content submission and user sessions to detect potential exploitation attempts early.