CVE-2025-68548 identifies a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability classified under CWE-79 in the Responsive Posts Carousel Pro plugin developed by WebCodingPlace. This plugin, commonly used to display responsive post carousels on WordPress websites, improperly neutralizes user-supplied input during the generation of web pages. As a result, malicious actors with low privileges can inject persistent scripts that execute in the context of other users visiting the affected site. The vulnerability affects all versions up to 15.2, with no specific earliest version identified. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.5, reflecting a medium severity level. The vector indicates network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L), user interaction (UI:R), and a scope change (S:C), with low impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:L/I:L/A:L). Exploitation requires an authenticated user to perform an action that stores malicious input, which then executes when other users view the affected content. This can lead to session hijacking, data theft, defacement, or malware delivery. No public exploits are currently known, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability was reserved and published in December 2025 by Patchstack, indicating recent discovery and disclosure. The lack of patches suggests that organizations must implement interim mitigations and monitor for suspicious activity until updates are available.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for those relying on WordPress websites with the Responsive Posts Carousel Pro plugin installed. Attackers exploiting this stored XSS flaw can execute arbitrary JavaScript in the browsers of site visitors, potentially leading to session hijacking, theft of sensitive information, unauthorized actions on behalf of users, and website defacement. This can damage organizational reputation, lead to data breaches, and disrupt business operations. Given the medium severity and requirement for authenticated user interaction, the risk is moderate but non-negligible. Sectors such as e-commerce, media, and public services in Europe that use this plugin are particularly at risk. Additionally, the scope change in the CVSS vector indicates that exploitation can affect resources beyond the initially vulnerable component, increasing potential damage. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate it, as attackers may develop exploits following public disclosure. Organizations failing to address this vulnerability may face regulatory scrutiny under GDPR if personal data is compromised.

European organizations should take proactive and specific steps to mitigate this vulnerability: 1) Monitor WebCodingPlace and trusted security advisories closely for official patches or updates addressing CVE-2025-68548 and apply them immediately upon release. 2) Implement strict input validation and sanitization on all user-supplied data fields related to the carousel plugin, using server-side filtering to neutralize potentially malicious scripts. 3) Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of XSS attacks. 4) Limit user privileges to the minimum necessary, reducing the risk that low-privilege users can inject malicious content. 5) Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on web application components, including plugins. 6) Educate site administrators and users about the risks of XSS and encourage reporting of suspicious website behavior. 7) Consider temporarily disabling or replacing the Responsive Posts Carousel Pro plugin if immediate patching is not feasible, especially on high-risk or public-facing sites. 8) Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules tuned to detect and block XSS payloads targeting this plugin. These measures, combined, will reduce the attack surface and limit potential exploitation until a permanent fix is deployed.