CVE-2025-8451 is a medium-severity vulnerability classified as CWE-79, indicating an improper neutralization of input leading to Cross-site Scripting (XSS) in the WordPress plugin 'Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets' developed by wpdevteam. This plugin is widely used to enhance the Elementor page builder with additional templates and widgets. The vulnerability specifically arises from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping of the 'data-gallery-items' parameter. Authenticated attackers with at least Contributor-level access can exploit this flaw by injecting arbitrary JavaScript code into pages. This injected script executes in the context of any user who views the compromised page, enabling potential session hijacking, privilege escalation, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 6.2.2, with no patch currently available. The CVSS v3.1 score is 6.4, reflecting a network attack vector with low attack complexity, requiring privileges but no user interaction, and impacting confidentiality and integrity with a scope change. No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, but the vulnerability's nature and ease of exploitation by authenticated users make it a significant risk for WordPress sites using this plugin.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a notable risk especially for those relying on WordPress sites enhanced with the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin. The ability for authenticated users to inject scripts can lead to data leakage, unauthorized access, and manipulation of site content, undermining user trust and potentially violating GDPR requirements concerning data protection and breach notification. Attackers could leverage this to compromise user sessions, steal credentials, or deliver malware, impacting confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe for corporate, governmental, and e-commerce websites, exploitation could disrupt business operations and damage reputations. The vulnerability's exploitation does not require user interaction, increasing the likelihood of automated or targeted attacks once discovered. Additionally, the scope change means that the attack could affect components beyond the initially compromised plugin, amplifying the potential damage.

European organizations should immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify the use of the Essential Addons for Elementor plugin and verify the version in use. Until an official patch is released, mitigation should include restricting Contributor-level and higher privileges to trusted users only, minimizing the attack surface. Implementing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious payloads targeting the 'data-gallery-items' parameter can provide interim protection. Regularly monitoring logs for unusual script injections or page modifications is critical. Organizations should also consider disabling or removing the plugin if it is not essential. Once a patch is available, prompt application is mandatory. Additionally, enforcing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can help mitigate the impact of injected scripts by restricting script execution sources. Educating site administrators about the risks of privilege escalation and enforcing strong access controls will further reduce exploitation chances.