CVE-2023-48278Network attack vector

Stored XSS via missing nonce and sanitization

Published Nov 30, 2023 · Updated Apr 28, 2026

Cross-site request forgery in Nitin Rathod WP Forms Puzzle Captcha 4.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to store XSS payloads. An unnamed plugin function fails to validate a WordPress nonce and insufficiently sanitizes attacker-controlled input before storing it. Exploitation requires a site administrator to act on a forged request; the stored script then executes in visitors' browsers within the affected site's security context.

CVSS severity7.1
High
EPSS probability0.21%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Cross-site request forgery in Nitin Rathod WP Forms Puzzle Captcha 4.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to store XSS payloads. An unnamed plugin function fails to validate a WordPress nonce and insufficiently sanitizes attacker-controlled input before storing it. Exploitation requires a site administrator to act on a forged request; the stored script then executes in visitors' browsers within the affected site's security context.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-48278
Published
Nov 30, 2023
Updated
Apr 28, 2026
Vendor
Nitin Rathod
Product
WP Forms Puzzle Captcha
Classifications
CWE-352, CAPEC-592, T1203
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Nov 30, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 28, 2026Record 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=n/a <=4.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Nitin Rathod · WP Forms Puzzle Captchaversion=n/a <=4.1

Published CVSS scores

7.1PatchstackCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
6.1NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-352Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
CAPEC-592Stored XSS
T1203Exploitation for Client Execution

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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