Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain contributor-level account
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DeliveryInsert countdown shortcode with malicious redirect_url
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ExploitStore unsanitized payload in page
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ExecutionVictim (e.g. admin) views page
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PersistScript executes in victim browser
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ImpactHijack session / escalate
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Output encoding, context-aware escaping
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires an authenticated account with contributor-level capabilities or higher (per the CVSS PR:L and the description) on a site running Countdown Timer - Widget Countdown ≤3.0.1, and the attacker must be able to use the plugin's shortcode and supply the 'redirect_url' attribute. The payload is stored, so execution is deferred until a user accesses the injected page - meaning impact depends on another user (ideally a higher-privileged admin) viewing that page. Limiting factors: no unauthenticated path (requires a contributor+ account, so sites that do not allow untrusted users to author content are far less exposed), and the plugin must be installed and its shortcode usable by the attacker. |
| Impact | This is a moderate-severity stored XSS (CWE-79) with a CVSS of 6.4. The provided CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N) indicates network-reachable, low-complexity exploitation, but PR:L confirms it is NOT unauthenticated - the attacker needs at least contributor-level access, which materially lowers real-world risk since contributor accounts are a trusted (if low-privilege) role. The S:C (scope change) and C:L/I:L reflect that the injected script executes in the browser of other users who view the page, not on the server itself. No EPSS score was provided in the input, there is no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code is referenced - so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis. The signals are internally consistent (no CVSS-vs-description conflict): the description's 'authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above' aligns cleanly with PR:L. Net assessment: a genuine but not emergency priority - realistic risk is bounded by the requirement for an authenticated contributor account, making this most relevant to multi-author sites or sites with open/low-trust registration. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who holds (or registers for) a contributor-level account on a WordPress site running this plugin inserts a Countdown Timer shortcode with a malicious 'redirect_url' attribute containing JavaScript. Because input is insufficiently sanitized and output is not escaped, the payload is stored and then executes in the browser of any user - including administrators - who later views the page, enabling session/cookie theft or admin-action abuse. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, though the attack path is straightforward given low attack complexity (AC:L). |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Stored cross-site scripting in the WordPress plugin Countdown Timer - Widget Countdown through version 3.0.1 allows an authenticated attacker with contributor-level access or higher to inject arbitrary JavaScript into pages by supplying a malicious 'redirect_url' shortcode attribute. Because the payload is persisted, the script executes in the browser of any user - including administrators - who later views the injected page, yielding limited confidentiality and integrity impact within the affected site's origin (CVSS 6.4, AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C). There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and the issue is not confirmed actively exploited (CISA KEV); exploitation is gated by the requirement for a contributor-or-higher account on a site running the plugin.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis: the input lists no fixed version and the affected range extends through 3.0.1, so there is no confirmed upgrade target to cite. Until a patched release appears, prioritize compensating controls according to exposure. First, if the plugin is not essential, deactivate and remove Countdown Timer - Widget Countdown - this fully eliminates the attack surface with no residual risk beyond lost functionality. If it must remain, restrict who can create or edit content: revoke contributor and author roles from untrusted users and require editorial review before publication, which directly removes the PR:L precondition but may disrupt contributor workflows. Audit existing posts and post revisions for countdown shortcodes containing a 'redirect_url' attribute with script tags, event handlers, javascript: URIs, or encoded equivalents, and either strip the attribute or replace the shortcode; note that revisions may still hold the payload if they are restored. Deploy a WAF or WordPress-layer virtual patch (for example Wordfence, which reported this issue and can supply a rule) that blocks or neutralizes script-bearing 'redirect_url' values - effective as a stop-gap but brittle against encoding bypasses. If the shortcode's redirect feature is not actually used, a short mu-plugin filter that strips or esc_url()-sanitizes the 'redirect_url' attribute before rendering will close the vector; such a filter must be validated against the plugin's own output path (front_end.php) so it is not bypassed by the legacy rendering code.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The affected component is the WordPress plugin WPDevart Countdown Timer - Widget Countdown (CPE cpe:2.3:a:wpdevart:countdown_timer_-_widget_countdown, WordPress ecosystem). The root cause is CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), specifically a stored variant. The plugin registers a shortcode whose 'redirect_url' attribute is consumed in the front-end rendering path - the referenced source file is includes/legacy/front_end.php (line 169) in the 3.0.1 tag of the widget-countdown Trac repository - where the attribute value is neither sanitized on input nor escaped on output. Shortcode attributes are stored as part of post content, so an attacker who can author or edit posts (contributor role and above) can persist a crafted shortcode; the injected markup is then rendered unescaped into the HTML of the page for every visitor. The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N indicates network-reachable, low-complexity exploitation requiring low privileges, with a scope change because script executing in the victim's browser context can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component, and limited (not high) confidentiality and integrity impact; availability is unaffected.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Network-reachable shortcode injection requiring a contributor account (PR:L), low complexity; stored payload runs in a different user's browser (S:C) with limited confidentiality/integrity impact and no availability effect.
Primary rating from Vendor (Wordfence).
CVSS VectorVendor: Wordfence
DescriptionCVE.org
The Countdown Timer - Widget Countdown plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'redirect_url' Shortcode Attribute in all versions up to, and including, 3.0.1 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.
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EUVD-2026-100788
GHSA-c8vg-gvp3-9c47
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB