Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessIdentify GiveWP site on vulnerable version
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DeliveryCraft XSS payload in plugin request parameter
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ExploitDeliver malicious link to target victim
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ExecutionVictim clicks link, browser renders injected script
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PersistScript executes in victim browser under site origin
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ImpactExfiltrate session token or capture credentials
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 that the target WordPress site has the GiveWP plugin installed and active at version 4.16.5 or earlier. No attacker authentication is required (PR:N confirmed by CVSS vector). Exploitation is limited by the mandatory victim interaction requirement (UI:R) - a target user must be induced to visit a crafted URL or interact with a malicious link, meaning passive scanning without victim engagement cannot trigger the vulnerability. The XSS payload must survive whatever input handling the plugin applies, but AC:L indicates no special evasion or race condition is needed. Sites not running GiveWP, or those already updated past the vulnerable version boundary, are not affected. |
| Impact | The NVD CVSS score of 7.1 (High) reflects the combination of network accessibility, no authentication requirement, and scope change, which are strong risk amplifiers. However, the UI:R metric limits exploitation to scenarios where a victim must be induced to interact - this is a meaningful friction point that reduces the likelihood of opportunistic mass exploitation compared to a fully automated attack. No EPSS data was provided in the intelligence, and neither CISA KEV status nor public exploit code was identified, suggesting no confirmed active exploitation at time of analysis. The real-world risk is meaningful for sites with authenticated administrators or repeat donors who could be targeted via phishing, but the absence of exploitation signals and the UI:R requirement place this below the priority tier of, for example, unauthenticated RCE vulnerabilities. Organizations running GiveWP on sites that collect donor payment data should treat this as a prompt but not emergency patch. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker identifies a WordPress site running GiveWP 4.16.5 or earlier, crafts a URL or form submission containing a malicious JavaScript payload that is reflected back in the plugin's output without proper encoding, then delivers this link via phishing email to a site administrator or authenticated donor. When the victim clicks the link, the script executes in their browser under the site's origin, allowing the attacker to steal session cookies, capture form data, or redirect the victim to a credential-harvesting page. No public proof-of-concept code has been identified, but the low attack complexity suggests the vulnerability is straightforward to reproduce from the Patchstack disclosure. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 06, 2026
Unauthenticated cross-site scripting in GiveWP WordPress plugin versions 4.16.5 and earlier allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to inject and execute arbitrary JavaScript in a victim's browser by tricking them into interacting with a crafted request or link. The changed scope (S:C) indicates the injected script executes in the browser context outside the plugin's own origin, enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or malicious redirects targeting authenticated site administrators or donors. No active exploitation has been confirmed by CISA KEV and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
The primary remediation is to update the GiveWP plugin beyond version 4.16.5; the exact patched release version is not independently confirmed in the available data beyond the boundary of 4.16.5 being vulnerable - consult the WordPress plugin repository or the Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/give/vulnerability/wordpress-givewp-plugin-4-16-5-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability for the confirmed fixed version. As a compensating control prior to patching, administrators can implement a web application firewall (WAF) rule to filter XSS payloads in requests to GiveWP-served endpoints, though this may introduce false positives on legitimate donation form submissions. Restricting access to GiveWP form endpoints to trusted IP ranges is not broadly feasible for public-facing donation sites and should only be considered for internal or restricted deployments. Administrators should also enforce strict Content-Security-Policy headers to limit the impact of any injected scripts.
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
CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation) describes a failure to sanitize or encode user-supplied input before rendering it in an HTML response. GiveWP is a WordPress donation and fundraising plugin attributed to Nexcess in NVD CPE data (cpe:2.3:a:nexcess:givewp). The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C indicates the vulnerability is network-reachable with no authentication required, low exploitation complexity, triggered by victim interaction (consistent with reflected XSS delivery), and with scope change - meaning the injected payload can affect the victim's browser session beyond the plugin's own security boundary. The root cause class is input validation failure in a WordPress plugin front-end rendering path, a common attack surface in donation form or shortcode rendering logic.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
XSS with scope change justifies C:L and I:L in victim browser; A:N as XSS does not cause availability impact on the server or plugin.
Primary rating from Vendor (Patchstack).
CVSS VectorVendor: Patchstack
DescriptionCVE.org
Unauthenticated Cross Site Scripting (XSS) in GiveWP <= 4.16.5 versions.
Executive ViewAI
GiveWP WordPress plugin versions 4.16.5 and earlier contain an unauthenticated cross-site scripting vulnerability that enables attackers to harvest administrator and donor credentials through crafted links. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, but given the plugin's exposure to both authenticated users and public-facing donation interfaces, this poses a direct risk to donor data, campaign funds, and administrative account compromise. Organizations using affected versions require immediate containment and urgent patching.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Disable GiveWP plugin until patch becomes available; if operational continuity requires active operation, implement Web Application Firewall rules to filter XSS payloads and enforce strict Content Security Policy headers to prevent injected script execution. Implement multi-factor authentication for all administrator accounts to reduce session hijacking impact. Audit access logs for suspicious authentication and monitor for unusual administrative activity.
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.
The GiveWP - Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all
The GiveWP - Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all
Unauthenticated PHP object injection in the GiveWP WordPress donation plugin (all versions through 4.16.7.1) lets remote
Improper privilege management in the GiveWP WordPress donation plugin (affected ranging from 4.16.6 up to but not includ
GiveWP WordPress plugin before 4.16.3 exposes sensitive donor privacy data through an unauthenticated REST API endpoint
Stored cross-site scripting in the GiveWP WordPress plugin before version 4.16.3 allows authenticated users holding the
Stored cross-site scripting in GiveWP donation forms before 4.19.0.1 lets a user who already holds a custom GiveWP role
The Donations Widget plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.
The GiveWP WordPress plugin before 2.21.3 does not have CSRF in place when exporting data, and does not validate the exp
The GiveWP WordPress plugin before 2.17.3 does not escape the json parameter before outputting it back in an attribute i
The GiveWP - Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform WordPress plugin before 2.10.0 was affected by a reflected Cross-S
The "Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform" plugin before 2.3.1 for WordPress has wp-admin/edit.php csv XSS. Rated me
EUVD-2026-53899
GHSA-q64f-8jfv-6r69
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB