Stored XSS via unescaped shortcode volume attribute
Published Jan 23, 2023 · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Stored XSS in Compact WP Audio Player before 1.9.8 allows remote authenticated users to run script in an administrator’s browser. The sc_embed_player shortcode inserts the volume attribute into the generated pause button without validation or output escaping, allowing an event-handler payload to persist in a post. Contributor access is sufficient to store the payload, and script executes when a higher-privileged user moves the pointer over the pause button.
Summary
What happened
Stored XSS in Compact WP Audio Player before 1.9.8 allows remote authenticated users to run script in an administrator’s browser. The sc_embed_player shortcode inserts the volume attribute into the generated pause button without validation or output escaping, allowing an event-handler payload to persist in a post. Contributor access is sufficient to store the payload, and script executes when a higher-privileged user moves the pointer over the pause button.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-4542
- Published
- Jan 23, 2023
- Updated
- Apr 3, 2025
- Vendor
- Tips and Tricks HQ
- Product
- Compact WP Audio Player
- Classifications
- CWE-79, T1189
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 23, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 3, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <1.9.8
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- WPScan shortcode volume-attribute proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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