CVE-2025-7205 is a medium-severity stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting the GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform for WordPress, specifically in all versions up to and including 4.5.0. The vulnerability arises due to improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79), where the donor notes parameter is not sufficiently sanitized or escaped before being rendered on web pages. This flaw allows an authenticated attacker with GiveWP worker-level access or higher to inject arbitrary malicious scripts into pages. These scripts execute in the context of users who visit the affected pages, potentially including administrators. Exploitation requires the attacker to trick an administrator into visiting a legacy version of the site where the vulnerable plugin is active. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.4 (medium), reflecting that the attack vector is network-based with low attack complexity, requires privileges (worker-level access), and user interaction (administrator visiting the malicious page). The impact includes limited confidentiality and integrity loss, with no direct availability impact. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches are linked yet. The vulnerability is significant because it enables persistent XSS, which can lead to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or further compromise within the WordPress environment hosting donation and fundraising activities.

For European organizations using GiveWP for donation and fundraising, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized script execution within their WordPress sites. Given that many non-profits, charities, and fundraising entities in Europe rely on WordPress plugins like GiveWP, exploitation could lead to theft of administrative credentials, manipulation of donation data, or defacement of fundraising pages. This undermines trust and could result in financial losses or reputational damage. The requirement for attacker authentication limits the attack surface to insiders or compromised accounts with worker-level privileges, but the potential for privilege escalation or lateral movement within the site remains. Additionally, the need to trick administrators into visiting malicious pages means social engineering is a component of exploitation, which could be facilitated by phishing campaigns targeting European charity staff. The impact on confidentiality and integrity of donation data is particularly sensitive given GDPR and other data protection regulations in Europe, potentially leading to compliance issues if personal data is exposed or altered.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Immediately upgrade the GiveWP plugin to a patched version once available; if no patch exists, consider disabling the plugin temporarily or restricting access to trusted users only. 2) Enforce strict role-based access control to limit worker-level privileges to only essential personnel, reducing the risk of insider exploitation. 3) Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts on affected pages. 4) Conduct regular audits of donor notes and other user-generated content for suspicious scripts or anomalies. 5) Educate administrators and staff on phishing and social engineering risks to prevent them from visiting malicious links. 6) Use Web Application Firewalls (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block attempts to inject or execute malicious scripts via the donor notes parameter. 7) Monitor logs for unusual activity related to GiveWP plugin usage and access patterns. 8) Consider isolating legacy versions of the site or decommissioning them to prevent exploitation via outdated instances.