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. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 score of 6.4 (Medium) reflects the attack vector being network-accessible, low attack complexity, but requiring low privileges (Contributor role) and no user interaction. The vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N indicates lateral impact across scope with confidentiality and integrity compromise. While the CVSS score is medium, the real-world risk is elevated due to multiple factors: (1) WordPress Contributor accounts are commonly delegated to freelance content creators and agencies, making the attack vector practical, (2) stored XSS persists and affects all users without requiring re-exploitation, (3) the vulnerability is trivially exploitable given the sanitization bypass via AJAX, and (4) the WordPress plugin ecosystem has high deployment breadth. The vulnerability warrants rapid patching despite the medium CVSS, as it affects the integrity and availability of website visitor sessions at scale. No EPSS score or KEV status data was provided in the source intelligence, but the presence of a clear proof-of-concept path (via AJAX meta endpoint) and documented code locations in the plugin repository increases practical exploitation likelihood. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with a Contributor account (or who compromises one through phishing) navigates to the WordPress admin dashboard and uses the browser developer console or direct AJAX calls to invoke wp_ajax_add_meta, injecting a payload like |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Mar 18, 2026
The Code Embed plugin for WordPress (versions up to 2.5.1) contains a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher to inject arbitrary JavaScript into pages through custom field meta values. The vulnerability exists because the plugin's sanitization function only runs during post saves, while WordPress AJAX endpoints can add meta fields without triggering sanitization, and the plugin then outputs these unsanitized values directly without HTML escaping. An attacker can inject malicious scripts that execute whenever any user visits an affected page, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or malware distribution.
RemediationAI
Immediately upgrade the Code Embed plugin to version 2.5.2 or later, which should include fixes to the sec_check_post_fields() sanitization function to cover the wp_ajax_add_meta endpoint and ensure ce_filter() properly escapes output. Check the WordPress plugin repository changelog at plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3482994 for confirmation of the patch. Until patching is possible, restrict Contributor-level access to only trusted authors, disable custom field UI for standard users by removing the custom_fields post type support, and consider using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to block unusual script patterns in POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php. Additionally, audit existing post meta values for suspicious JavaScript patterns using WordPress database queries and remove any injected content from the database.
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 vulnerability is a classic stored XSS (CWE-79) in the Code Embed plugin (identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:dartiss:code_embed:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) that stems from improper input validation and output encoding in WordPress plugin architecture. The root cause involves two design flaws: first, the sec_check_post_fields() sanitization function only executes on the save_post hook, which does not fire when custom meta fields are added via the wp_ajax_add_meta AJAX endpoint that WordPress provides natively. Second, the ce_filter() function retrieves these meta values and outputs them directly into page content without using WordPress escaping functions like esc_html() or wp_kses_post(). This creates a gap where attacker-controlled data persists in the database and is rendered without protection.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
The Code Embed plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via custom field meta values in all versions up to, and including, 2.5.1. This is due to the plugin's sanitization function sec_check_post_fields() only running on the save_post hook, while WordPress allows custom fields to be added via the wp_ajax_add_meta AJAX endpoint without triggering save_post. The ce_filter() function then outputs these unsanitized meta values directly into page content without 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.
Executive ViewAI
Organizations using Code Embed should be aware of moderate risk from CVE-2026-2512, a cross-site scripting vulnerability rated CVSS 6.4. Attackers could inject scripts to steal sessions or perform actions as authenticated users. Organizations should apply vendor updates when available and monitor for exploitation.
Apply vendor patch. If patching is delayed: implement CSP headers, enable HttpOnly cookies, deploy WAF XSS rules.
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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Stored XSS in the Code Embed WordPress plugin (versions prior to 2.6.1) permits a Contributor-role attacker to plant a U
The Code Embed plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's script embed functiona
EUVD-2026-12833
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
GitHub
VulDB
Exploit-DB