CVE-2025-8462 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the RT Easy Builder – Advanced addons for Elementor WordPress plugin developed by risetheme. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 2.3 of the plugin. The root cause is improper neutralization of input during web page generation, specifically insufficient sanitization and escaping of the 'social URL' parameter. An authenticated attacker with Contributor-level privileges or higher can exploit this flaw by injecting arbitrary malicious scripts into pages. These scripts are then stored and executed whenever any user accesses the compromised page, potentially leading to session hijacking, defacement, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.4, indicating a medium severity level. The attack vector is network-based with low attack complexity, requiring privileges equivalent to a Contributor role, but no user interaction is needed for the payload to execute once injected. The scope is changed, meaning the vulnerability affects resources beyond the vulnerable component, impacting confidentiality and integrity but not availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79, a common and well-understood class of web application security issues related to improper input validation and output encoding in dynamic web content generation.

For European organizations using WordPress sites with the RT Easy Builder – Advanced addons for Elementor plugin, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of their web applications. Attackers with Contributor-level access—which may be obtained through compromised accounts or insider threats—can inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of site visitors, including employees, customers, or partners. This can lead to theft of authentication cookies, unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users, defacement of websites, or distribution of malware. Given the widespread use of WordPress in Europe for corporate, governmental, and e-commerce sites, exploitation could damage brand reputation, lead to data breaches involving personal data protected under GDPR, and cause regulatory and financial repercussions. The lack of required user interaction for exploitation increases the risk of automated or widespread attacks once the vulnerability is known. Although no active exploits are currently reported, the medium severity and ease of exploitation by authenticated users make timely mitigation critical to prevent escalation and lateral movement within affected environments.

European organizations should immediately audit their WordPress installations to identify the presence of the RT Easy Builder – Advanced addons for Elementor plugin and verify the version in use. Until an official patch is released, organizations should consider the following specific mitigations: 1) Restrict Contributor-level and higher privileges to trusted users only, implementing strict access controls and multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of account compromise. 2) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious payloads targeting the 'social URL' parameter. 3) Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers. 4) Regularly monitor logs and user activity for anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 5) Consider disabling or removing the vulnerable plugin if it is not essential or replacing it with a secure alternative. 6) Stay alert for vendor updates or patches and apply them promptly once available. 7) Conduct security awareness training for site administrators and contributors about the risks of XSS and safe content management practices.