CVE-2025-8681 is a medium-severity stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Pegasystems' Pega Infinity platform versions from 7.1.0 through 24.2.2. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79) within a user interface component. Specifically, the flaw allows malicious scripts to be stored and later executed in the context of the application. Exploitation requires a high-privileged user with a developer role to inject malicious payloads, which are then rendered in the web interface, leading to potential compromise of confidentiality and limited integrity impact. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.5, reflecting network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), high privileges required (PR:H), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), low integrity impact (I:L), and no availability impact (A:N). No known exploits are reported in the wild as of the publication date (September 10, 2025). The vulnerability is significant because Pega Infinity is widely used in enterprise environments for business process management and customer engagement, making it a valuable target for attackers seeking to leverage trusted high-privilege accounts to inject malicious scripts that could lead to data exfiltration or session hijacking of other users. The requirement for a developer role limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with multiple administrators or developers. The lack of user interaction needed means that once the malicious script is stored, it can execute automatically when other users access the affected interface component.

For European organizations using Pega Infinity, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the confidentiality of sensitive business data and user credentials. Attackers with access to developer-level accounts could inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users, potentially leading to session hijacking, unauthorized data access, or lateral movement within the organization’s systems. Given Pega Infinity’s role in managing critical business workflows and customer data, exploitation could disrupt business operations and damage trust with customers and partners. The medium severity and requirement for high privileges reduce the likelihood of widespread exploitation but do not eliminate targeted attacks, especially in sectors with complex development teams or outsourced development. Additionally, regulatory frameworks such as GDPR impose strict requirements on protecting personal data, and any breach resulting from this vulnerability could lead to significant compliance and reputational consequences for European entities.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Immediately review and restrict developer role assignments to only trusted personnel, enforcing the principle of least privilege. 2) Implement strict input validation and output encoding in all custom user interface components to prevent injection of malicious scripts. 3) Monitor and audit developer activities and changes within Pega Infinity to detect suspicious behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Apply any available patches or updates from Pegasystems as soon as they are released, even though no patch links are currently provided. 5) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block stored XSS payloads targeting Pega Infinity interfaces. 6) Conduct security awareness training for developers and administrators on secure coding practices and the risks of XSS vulnerabilities. 7) Regularly perform security assessments and penetration testing focused on the Pega Infinity environment to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities proactively.