Authenticated stored XSS via unescaped shortcode attributes
Published Oct 24, 2023 · Updated Apr 8, 2026
Stored XSS in the advMenu shortcode in johnnypea Advanced Menu Widget 0.4.1 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to inject scripts. The advMenu shortcode handler accepts user-supplied attributes without sufficient validation or sanitization and emits them into page output without contextual escaping. Contributor-level access is required, and the injected script executes in the browser of any user who visits the affected page.
Summary
What happened
Stored XSS in the advMenu shortcode in johnnypea Advanced Menu Widget 0.4.1 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to inject scripts. The advMenu shortcode handler accepts user-supplied attributes without sufficient validation or sanitization and emits them into page output without contextual escaping. Contributor-level access is required, and the injected script executes in the browser of any user who visits the affected page.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-5085
- Published
- Oct 24, 2023
- Updated
- Apr 8, 2026
- Vendor
- johnnypea
- Product
- Advanced Menu Widget
- Classifications
- CWE-79, T1059.007
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 24, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 8, 2026Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=0 <=0.4.1
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
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
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