CVE-2025-11763
📋 TL;DR
The Display Pages Shortcode WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in the 'column_count' parameter of its shortcode. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher can inject malicious scripts that execute when users view affected pages. This affects all WordPress sites using this plugin up to version 1.1.
💻 Affected Systems
- Display Pages Shortcode WordPress Plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal admin credentials, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or install backdoors for persistent access.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious scripts to steal user session cookies, redirect to phishing pages, or display unwanted content.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output escaping, the vulnerability would be prevented entirely.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is technically simple once access is obtained.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check WordPress plugin repository for updated version
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/display-pages-shortcode/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Display Pages Shortcode' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify update completes successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate display-pages-shortcode
Restrict User Roles
allLimit contributor-level access to trusted users only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in 'column_count' parameter
- Remove contributor-level access from untrusted users and audit existing contributor accounts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Display Pages Shortcode version. If version is 1.1 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get display-pages-shortcode --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify plugin version is higher than 1.1. Test shortcode functionality works without security issues.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to WordPress admin with 'column_count' parameter containing script tags
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful contributor-level login
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with JavaScript payloads in 'column_count' parameter
- Outbound connections to suspicious domains after page views
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("column_count" AND ("<script>" OR "javascript:" OR "onerror="))🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/display-pages-shortcode/trunk/display-pages-shortcode.php#L513
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/display-pages-shortcode/trunk/display-pages-shortcode.php#L517
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/df4ada5f-6008-40b9-ad83-c6af82e64e9f?source=cve
