CVE-2025-7957: ShortcodeHub WordPress Plugin XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-7957 Overview

CVE-2025-7957 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability [CWE-79] affecting the ShortcodeHub plugin for WordPress. The flaw exists in all versions up to and including 1.7.1. The plugin fails to sanitize input and escape output on the author_link_target parameter. Authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher can inject arbitrary JavaScript into pages. The injected script executes in the browser of any visitor who accesses the affected page.

Critical Impact
Authenticated contributors can store malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of site visitors and administrators, enabling session theft, account takeover, and arbitrary actions on behalf of victims.

Affected Products

WordPress ShortcodeHub plugin versions up to and including 1.7.1
WordPress installations where the plugin is active and permits Contributor-level accounts
Multi-author WordPress sites using ShortcodeHub for theme shortcodes

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-23 - CVE-2025-7957 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-7957

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the ShortcodeHub plugin's theme-related useful shortcodes implementation, specifically in class-sh-useful-shortcodes-theme.php. The affected code path processes the author_link_target parameter without applying proper input sanitization or output escaping. The parameter value is rendered directly into HTML attributes generated by the shortcode. An authenticated attacker with Contributor privileges can embed the vulnerable shortcode in a post and supply a crafted author_link_target value containing JavaScript. The payload persists in the database and executes each time a user renders the affected page.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing input validation and missing output escaping on the author_link_target shortcode attribute. WordPress provides escaping helpers such as esc_attr() and esc_url() for safely rendering attributes. The vulnerable code path emits the attacker-controlled value into an HTML context without invoking these helpers. This matches the pattern described by CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an authenticated session at the Contributor level or above. The attacker inserts the vulnerable shortcode into post content and supplies a malicious author_link_target value containing script content or a javascript: URI. When an administrator previews the submitted post, or when a visitor loads a published page containing the shortcode, the injected script executes in the victim's browser under the site's origin. The scope-change rating in the CVSS vector reflects that scripts execute in the browsers of other users, not only the attacker.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. See the Wordfence Vulnerability Report and the vulnerable source file in the WordPress Plugin Trac for technical references.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-7957

Indicators of Compromise

Post or page content containing ShortcodeHub shortcodes with unusual author_link_target attribute values containing <, >, on*=, or javascript: strings
Unexpected outbound requests from visitor browsers to attacker-controlled domains after rendering pages that use ShortcodeHub shortcodes
Newly created administrator accounts or modified user roles following interaction by a privileged user with contributor-submitted content

Detection Strategies

Query the wp_posts table for post_content entries containing ShortcodeHub shortcode names along with suspicious characters in the author_link_target attribute
Review web server access logs for responses that embed script fragments inside HTML attributes rendered by the plugin
Audit the user list for Contributor-level or higher accounts created in the window during which the vulnerable plugin version was installed

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) reporting to surface script execution from unexpected inline sources on pages rendered by WordPress
Monitor plugin version inventory and alert when any site is running ShortcodeHub 1.7.1 or earlier
Track administrator session anomalies, including requests originating from pages authored by Contributor accounts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-7957

Immediate Actions Required

Update the ShortcodeHub plugin to a version later than 1.7.1 once a patched release is available on the WordPress plugin repository
Audit all posts and pages submitted by Contributor-level accounts for suspicious shortcode attributes and remove any that contain script payloads
Restrict Contributor and Author role assignments to trusted users only until the plugin is updated
Rotate credentials and session tokens for administrators who may have viewed malicious content

Patch Information

At the time of NVD publication, the vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.7.1. Monitor the ShortcodeHub plugin page for an updated release that includes proper sanitization of the author_link_target parameter using esc_attr() or esc_url().

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the ShortcodeHub plugin until a fixed version is released
Deploy a web application firewall rule that blocks requests containing script-like content in shortcode attributes posted to WordPress editing endpoints
Downgrade Contributor accounts to Subscriber role or require editorial review of all submitted content before publication
Enforce a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline script execution on the WordPress front end

bash

# Configuration example: disable the plugin via WP-CLI pending a patched release
wp plugin deactivate shortcodehub
wp plugin delete shortcodehub

# Audit posts for suspicious author_link_target values
wp db query "SELECT ID, post_title, post_author FROM wp_posts \
  WHERE post_content LIKE '%author_link_target=%' \
  AND (post_content LIKE '%<script%' \
       OR post_content LIKE '%javascript:%' \
       OR post_content LIKE '%onerror=%');"