Executive brief
Shortcode Buddy is a WordPress plugin used to simplify the addition of custom elements to website pages. A security flaw allows users with basic contributor-level access to inject malicious scripts into pages. These scripts will automatically run in the browser of any visitor who views the affected page, potentially leading to unauthorized actions or data theft.
Technical details
The Shortcode Buddy plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on shortcode attributes. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 0.1.9.5. An authenticated attacker with contributor-level permissions or higher can exploit this by injecting arbitrary web scripts into a page via a shortcode. Because the scripts are stored on the server, they execute in the context of any user's browser session when they visit the compromised page. This can lead to session hijacking or unauthorized administrative actions if a high-privileged user views the page.
Affected products
- Shortcode Buddy Shortcode Buddy Up to, and including, 0.1.9.5
Timeline
- 2026-05-27: disclosed
- 2026-05-27: advisory