CVE-2022-4481Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Stored XSS via unescaped shortcode attribute

Published Jan 16, 2023 · Updated Apr 7, 2025

Stored XSS in Extend Themes Mesmerize Companion before 1.6.135 allows remote authenticated users to inject scripts through a shortcode. The mesmerize_latest_news shortcode outputs the item_class attribute without validation or escaping, preserving attacker-supplied event-handler markup in a page. A contributor account and the Mesmerize theme are required; viewing the crafted page executes the script in a higher-privileged user's browser.

CVSS severity5.4
Medium
EPSS probability0.57%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Stored XSS in Extend Themes Mesmerize Companion before 1.6.135 allows remote authenticated users to inject scripts through a shortcode. The mesmerize_latest_news shortcode outputs the item_class attribute without validation or escaping, preserving attacker-supplied event-handler markup in a page. A contributor account and the Mesmerize theme are required; viewing the crafted page executes the script in a higher-privileged user's browser.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-4481
Published
Jan 16, 2023
Updated
Apr 7, 2025
Vendor
Extend Themes
Product
Mesmerize Companion
Classifications
CWE-79, T1059.007
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 16, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 7, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <1.6.135

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Extend Themes · Mesmerize Companionversion=0 <1.6.135

Published CVSS scores

5.4CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-79Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
T1059.007JavaScript/JScript

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo