# CVE-2026-80437: Ninja Forms arbitrary shortcode execution via request merge tags

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-80437-ninja-forms-arbitrary-shortcode-execution-via-request-merge-tags  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-06. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-80437 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4.8 · Published 2026-09-06

Ninja Forms is a popular WordPress form-building plugin used to create contact forms and surveys on websites. A vulnerability in versions 3.14.10 through 3.15.1 allows unauthenticated visitors to execute any shortcode registered on the site by injecting malicious code through HTTP headers (like Client-IP or Referer), potentially enabling attackers to access sensitive data, modify site content, or inject malware without requiring authentication or admin privileges.

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-80437 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-80437 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-80437?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4.8, published 6 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** WP Ninjas Ninja Forms 3.14.10 through 3.15.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-80437?** A patch was published on 2026-09-06: Fixed in version 3.15.2 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-80437 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-80437?** Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

This is a server-side template injection / code execution vulnerability in the Ninja Forms plugin's merge-tag substitution logic. When administrators configure form success messages or field default values to include request-derived merge tags (such as {other:user_ip}, {system:ip}, or {other:referer_url}), the plugin substitutes these values from HTTP request headers without sanitization, then processes the resulting content for shortcode execution. An unauthenticated attacker can inject a shortcode payload (e.g., [gallery]) via HTTP headers, which gets substituted into the message/field and then executed as a registered WordPress shortcode. Exploitation requires only that the administrator has configured one of the affected merge tags in a success message or default value; no authentication, nonce validation, or user interaction is required beyond a normal form submission or page load. The vulnerability was partially patched in 3.15.1 but remained exploitable through alternate merge-tag sources until the full fix in 3.15.2.

## Affected products

- WP Ninjas Ninja Forms 3.14.10 through 3.15.1

## Timeline

- 2026-09-04: disclosed
- 2026-09-06: patched: Fixed in version 3.15.2

## References

- [https://wordpress.org/plugins](https://wordpress.org/plugins)
- [https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/473a3321-7dc6-454a-82f4-89b6a393d09a/](https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/473a3321-7dc6-454a-82f4-89b6a393d09a/)