CVE-2025-8779 identifies a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the All-in-One Addons for Elementor – WidgetKit plugin for WordPress, specifically within its Team and Countdown widgets. The root cause is insufficient sanitization and escaping of user-supplied input attributes, allowing authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into pages. Since the vulnerability is stored, the malicious script persists in the website's content and executes whenever any user accesses the infected page, potentially compromising user sessions, stealing cookies, or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of users. The vulnerability affects all plugin versions up to and including 2.5.6. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.4, reflecting a medium severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, requiring privileges (contributor or above), no user interaction, and a scope change. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity but not availability. No public exploits have been reported, but the risk remains significant due to the ease of exploitation by authenticated users. The plugin is widely used in WordPress sites leveraging Elementor page builder, which is popular in Europe. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper input validation and output encoding in web applications, especially in plugins that accept user-generated content. Since no official patch links are provided yet, mitigation relies on access control and monitoring.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily to websites using WordPress with the vulnerable WidgetKit plugin. Exploitation can lead to session hijacking, unauthorized actions, defacement, or distribution of malware through injected scripts, undermining user trust and potentially violating data protection regulations such as GDPR if personal data is compromised. Organizations relying on contributor-level users to manage content are particularly vulnerable, as these users can inject malicious code. The impact extends to brand reputation damage and possible legal consequences if customer data is exposed. Since the vulnerability affects confidentiality and integrity but not availability, operational disruption is less likely but cannot be ruled out if attackers leverage the vulnerability for further attacks. European entities with high web presence, especially in sectors like e-commerce, media, and public services using WordPress, face increased risk. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate threat but vigilance is necessary given the ease of exploitation once a patch is unavailable.

1. Immediately audit user roles and restrict contributor-level access to trusted personnel only, minimizing the number of users who can exploit the vulnerability. 2. Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block common XSS payloads targeting the affected widgets. 3. Monitor website content for unauthorized script injections, focusing on pages using the Team and Countdown widgets. 4. Disable or remove the vulnerable WidgetKit plugin if patching is not yet available, or replace it with alternative plugins that have secure coding practices. 5. Enforce Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict execution of unauthorized scripts on affected sites. 6. Educate content contributors about the risks of injecting untrusted code and enforce strict input validation on the application side where possible. 7. Regularly check for plugin updates or security advisories from the vendor and apply patches promptly once released. 8. Conduct security scans and penetration tests focusing on XSS vulnerabilities in WordPress environments.