Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessSubmit crafted XSS payload via unauthenticated GeoDirectory input
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DeliveryPayload stored in or reflected by plugin output
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ExploitAttacker delivers or waits for victim admin to load affected page
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ExecutionInjected JavaScript executes in victim's authenticated browser session
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ImpactSession credentials or admin actions exfiltrated to attacker
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 | The vulnerability requires no account, credentials, or special configuration by the attacker - CVSS PR:N confirms unauthenticated exploitation. The necessary and sole limiting condition is victim interaction (UI:R): a user, ideally an authenticated WordPress administrator, must load the page or content item containing the injected payload in their browser. No non-default plugin configuration, specific deployment mode, or co-installed component is described as required in the available data, indicating this affects standard GeoDirectory installations in their default state. What limits exploitation in practice is the need to socially engineer a victim into viewing the malicious content, or to rely on organic site traffic to the affected listing - neither of which is a strong technical barrier for a motivated attacker targeting high-traffic directory sites. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 reflects a meaningful threat profile: network-reachable (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), and no authentication required (PR:N) together mean any internet-accessible actor can attempt injection with minimal tooling. The mandatory user interaction (UI:R) is the primary limiting factor - exploitation requires a victim to load the page containing the payload, which in practice is straightforward to achieve via phishing links or by targeting high-traffic listing pages. The scope-changed metric (S:C) elevates the practical impact beyond what the individual C:L/I:L/A:L ratings suggest, since a compromised admin session enables full WordPress site takeover. EPSS data is absent from available intelligence, so precise exploitation probability cannot be stated; the KEV registry does not list this CVE, indicating no confirmed active exploitation campaign at time of analysis. The combination of unauthenticated injection and a WordPress plugin context - where administrators regularly review public-submitted content - represents a realistic and common attack path that security teams should not underweight based on the moderate per-metric impact ratings alone. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An unauthenticated attacker submits a crafted directory listing or form input containing a JavaScript payload to a public-facing GeoDirectory endpoint. When an authenticated WordPress administrator reviews the listing or navigates to the affected page - a routine administrative task - the injected script executes in the admin's browser session, enabling the attacker to exfiltrate the admin's session cookie, create a rogue administrator account, or install a malicious plugin via the WordPress admin API. No public proof-of-concept exploit has been identified at time of analysis, but the low complexity and unauthenticated nature make manual exploitation straightforward with standard browser developer tools. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 20, 2026
Cross-site scripting in the GeoDirectory WordPress plugin (versions ≤ 2.8.173) enables unauthenticated remote attackers to inject arbitrary JavaScript payloads that execute in the browsers of users who visit affected pages, including authenticated administrators. The CVSS:3.1 scope-changed vector (S:C) confirms that the attacker's script runs in a different security context than the vulnerable plugin itself, meaning a successful attack can affect the victim's authenticated WordPress session rather than just the plugin's isolated output. No public exploit code or CISA KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis, though the unauthenticated entry point and low attack complexity historically make WordPress XSS vulnerabilities attractive targets for rapid weaponization.
RemediationAI
The primary remediation is to update GeoDirectory to a version released after 2.8.173; the specific patched version number is not included in the available input data and must be confirmed by consulting the Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/geodirectory/vulnerability/wordpress-geodirectory-plugin-2-8-173-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve or the WordPress plugin repository changelog. As an interim measure prior to patching, administrators can disable public-facing GeoDirectory submission forms and listing input surfaces to prevent unauthenticated payload injection - note this may impair directory submission functionality for legitimate users. Deploying a web application firewall rule to sanitize or reject requests containing script-bearing content in GeoDirectory parameters is a secondary control, but WAF rules carry a risk of false positives on legitimate directory content and should not substitute for patching.
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
GeoDirectory is a WordPress business directory plugin (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:paolo:geodirectory:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) that provides public-facing listing and submission functionality. CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation) identifies the root cause: user-supplied input - likely submitted through a directory listing form, search parameter, or URL query string - is rendered in HTML output without adequate sanitization or output encoding, allowing injected script tags or event handlers to be executed by the victim's browser. The S:C scope-change in the CVSS vector is technically significant: it indicates the injected script operates in the victim's browser origin context (the WordPress site), granting access to cookies, localStorage, and the ability to make authenticated requests on behalf of the victim, not merely within the plugin's isolated rendering context.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
Network-exploitable with no auth (PR:N) and low complexity, but requires victim interaction (UI:R); availability impact set to N as XSS does not meaningfully degrade system availability.
Primary rating from Vendor (Patchstack).
CVSS VectorVendor: Patchstack
DescriptionCVE.org
Unauthenticated Cross Site Scripting (XSS) in GeoDirectory <= 2.8.173 versions.
Executive ViewAI
GeoDirectory, a widely-deployed WordPress plugin, contains an unauthenticated cross-site scripting vulnerability in versions 2.8.173 and earlier that allows attackers to hijack administrator sessions and compromise website integrity. Organizations running affected versions face immediate risk of unauthorized administrative access without requiring legitimate credentials. Rapid plugin disablement and systematic patching is essential to prevent administrative takeover.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: immediately disable GeoDirectory plugin; deploy WAF rules blocking XSS payloads targeting plugin endpoints; restrict plugin component access via network ACLs; implement continuous monitoring of administrator session activity for anomalous login patterns; enforce site-wide Content Security Policy headers to limit script injection scope; segregate administrative access to isolated network segments.
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-2026-63343
GHSA-qxvh-2mjx-7wp3
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB