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URL Shortify EUVDEUVD-2026-60786

| CVE-2026-73362 HIGH
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79)
2026-08-18 Patchstack GHSA-65hf-9c2p-ww49
7.1
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Patchstack
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Craft malicious URL with XSS payload
  2. Delivery
    Deliver link to WordPress admin via phishing
  3. Exploit
    Victim clicks link while authenticated
  4. Execution
    Browser renders unsanitized input
  5. Persist
    Injected script executes in admin session
  6. Impact
    Exfiltrate session token or perform privileged action

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 URL Shortify plugin installed and active in a version at or below 2.5.0. The CVSS vector confirms no authentication is required from the attacker (PR:N), but the victim must interact with a crafted link or page (UI:R) - meaning the attacker cannot exploit this passively and must deliver the payload through phishing, a compromised referral site, or similar social engineering. There is no indication of a non-default configuration requirement; the vulnerability appears to exist in standard plugin operation. The primary limiting factor is the mandatory user interaction step, which constrains opportunistic or automated mass exploitation.

Impact

The CVSS 7.1 score reflects a meaningful but not maximum risk profile: the attack is network-reachable with no authentication required (AV:N/PR:N/AC:L), but exploitation depends on social engineering a victim into clicking a crafted link (UI:R), which introduces a friction point. EPSS data is absent from available intelligence, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified statistically. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog and no POC code has been identified, so real-world exploitation is plausible but not confirmed. The triple-low impact rating (C:L/I:L/A:L) somewhat understates the practical risk of XSS against WordPress administrators, as script execution in an admin session can lead to full site compromise via plugin installation or credential exfiltration - even a mid-sized municipal IT team in swidnica managing a public-facing WordPress site should treat this as an urgent patch given the zero-authentication-required delivery. The key limiting factor is the required user interaction, which reduces the likelihood of opportunistic mass exploitation compared to a fully unauthenticated stored XSS.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker crafts a malicious URL containing an injected JavaScript payload targeting a parameter processed by URL Shortify, then delivers that link to a WordPress administrator via email or a compromised page. When the administrator's browser loads the crafted URL while authenticated, the injected script executes in their session, potentially exfiltrating the session cookie or issuing authenticated API requests to install a backdoor plugin. No public POC has been identified at time of analysis, but the low attack complexity makes independent derivation straightforward.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 18, 2026

Unauthenticated Cross-Site Scripting in the URL Shortify WordPress plugin (versions <= 2.5.0) allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into pages viewed by authenticated victims, including site administrators. With a Changed scope (S:C), successful exploitation extends the attack surface beyond the plugin itself into the victim's browser session, enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized administrative actions within the WordPress dashboard. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

RemediationAI

Update the URL Shortify plugin to a version above 2.5.0 as soon as a patched release is published by KaizenCoders; consult the Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/url-shortify/vulnerability/wordpress-url-shortify-plugin-2-5-0-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability for confirmed fix version details, as an exact patched version number was not independently confirmed from available data. If an immediate upgrade is not possible, deactivate the plugin entirely until a fix is available - this eliminates the attack surface with no residual functionality trade-off beyond the URL shortening feature itself. WordPress site administrators should also enforce a Content Security Policy (CSP) header that restricts script sources to trusted origins, which would limit the impact of any XSS payload even if the plugin remains installed. Restrict access to the WordPress admin panel by IP allowlist as a compensating control; this does not prevent the XSS from targeting frontend visitors but reduces the blast radius if an admin account is the target.

Affected VersionsENISA

URL Shortify n/a ≤2.5.0

Affected Packages

euvd url_shortify no fix

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) indicates that user-supplied input - likely a URL parameter or slug processed by the plugin - is reflected or stored without adequate encoding before being rendered in an HTML context. The affected component is the kaizencoders URL Shortify plugin for WordPress, identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:kaizencoders:url_shortify:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*. The Changed scope in the CVSS vector (S:C) is characteristic of XSS: though the vulnerability resides in the plugin, the injected script executes in the victim's browser, crossing the security boundary into the browser's DOM and session context. The low complexity (AC:L) suggests the injection point is straightforward and does not require special configuration or race conditions.

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Severity by source

Vendor (Patchstack) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
vuln.today AI 6.1 MEDIUM

XSS via network with no auth and user-interaction required; scope changes to browser context; no availability impact from script injection.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (Patchstack).

CVSS VectorVendor: Patchstack

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

DescriptionCVE.org

Unauthenticated Cross Site Scripting (XSS) in URL Shortify <= 2.5.0 versions.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

URL Shortify WordPress plugin (versions 2.5.0 and earlier) contains an unauthenticated Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability enabling attackers to inject scripts into administrator sessions, risking credential theft and unauthorized administrative access. No vendor patch is available, requiring immediate plugin removal and compensating security controls.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: immediately remove the vulnerable plugin from all WordPress installations; implement Web Application Firewall blocking XSS payloads; enforce two-factor authentication on all administrator accounts; enable comprehensive WordPress security auditing and session monitoring; restrict administrative access to corporate networks or VPNs; perform immediate audit of administrator action logs for anomalous activity; consider deploying URL shortening functionality through alternative third-party services with active security support.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 85% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche WordPress URL-shortener plugin, limited enterprise footprint
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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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