Description

Contributor Cross Site Scripting (XSS) in WP Tab Widget <= 1.2.11 versions.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "6.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-18T15:16:59.430Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-18T15:16:59.430Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in the WP Tab Widget plugin, affecting all versions up to and including 1.2.11. This security flaw allows malicious actors with contributor-level privileges or lower, depending on system configuration, to inject arbitrary client-side scripts into web pages rendered by the application. The primary impact of this vulnerability involves the execution of malicious JavaScript within the context of a victim's browser session, which can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the user, and the manipulation of content displayed by the affected WordPress site. The risk implication is moderate to high, as successful exploitation compromises the integrity and confidentiality of user interactions with the vulnerable web application. The attacker capabilities require authenticated access to the WordPress dashboard with sufficient permissions to interact with the widget configuration or input fields processed by the plugin. Exploitation requirements mandate that a privileged or semi-privileged user successfully injects the payload into the vulnerable parameter, which is subsequently rendered without proper sanitization or output encoding when the widget is loaded by visitors or administrators.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization and output encoding within the WP Tab Widget plugin <= 1.2.11. The root cause is located in the plugin's handling of user-supplied data submitted through widget configuration parameters or administrative interfaces, where input is accepted and later reflected in the Document Object Model (DOM) without adequate filtering of HTML tags and JavaScript event handlers. The vulnerable component consists of the script execution and rendering engine responsible for displaying tab content on the front end of the WordPress site. Attack flow begins when an authenticated user with contributor privileges or higher inputs a specially crafted payload containing malicious JavaScript into the vulnerable input fields managed by the plugin. The application stores this unsanitized payload within the database without validating its structural safety. Subsequently, when a user or administrator requests a page containing the WP Tab Widget, the application retrieves the stored payload from the database and embeds it directly into the HTML response delivered to the client browser. The browser interprets the injected payload as legitimate executable script rather than inert text data due to the lack of context-aware output encoding. The payload executes in the security context of the victim's session, enabling unauthorized actions, DOM tampering, or cookie exfiltration. Network exposure is inherent to web applications running WordPress, accessible via HTTP and HTTPS protocols. Privilege requirements involve authenticated access with at least contributor capabilities, allowing the creation or modification of specific content types that interact with the widget processing logic. Post-exploitation impact includes potential administrative session takeover if an administrative user views the rendered widget containing the malicious script, ultimately leading to full site compromise."
}