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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Reach site search results page
  2. Delivery
    Submit search input with crafted shortcode payload
  3. Exploit
    Breadcrumb renders value through do_shortcode
  4. Execution
    Injected shortcode executes in site context
  5. Impact
    Information disclosure or content/output manipulation

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Code injection prevention, sandbox exec
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Initial Access

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 AIOSEO breadcrumb feature be actively rendered on the WordPress search results page - specifically via the AIOSEO breadcrumb block, widget, shortcode, or template tag. On sites that do not display AIOSEO breadcrumbs on search results, the vulnerable do_shortcode path is not reached and the issue is not exploitable. Where that condition is met, no authentication or user interaction is needed (PR:N/UI:N): an unauthenticated attacker can supply the malicious value remotely. The practical impact is further bounded by which shortcodes are registered on the target site, since arbitrary shortcode execution can only invoke shortcodes that core WordPress or installed plugins actually expose.

Impact

This is a moderate-risk issue that scores CVSS 6.5 (Medium) rather than critical, and the real-world signals support treating it as important-but-not-emergency. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N) indicates a network-reachable, unauthenticated flaw with only Low confidentiality and Low integrity impact and no availability impact - consistent with arbitrary shortcode execution (CWE-94) whose blast radius depends on which shortcodes the installed plugins expose, not guaranteed full code execution. No EPSS score was provided, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified. The vulnerability is NOT on the CISA KEV list and there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, so despite the 'RCE/Code Injection' tags this is not confirmed active exploitation. A key tension: the Tags label this 'RCE', but the CVSS impact (C:L/I:L, no system compromise metric elevated) and the description ('execute arbitrary shortcodes') point to shortcode injection, which is materially weaker than true remote code execution - treat the RCE framing with caution. The most significant risk-limiting factor is the precondition: the AIOSEO breadcrumb must actually be rendered on the search results page (via block, widget, shortcode, or template tag), which is a deployment-dependent configuration and not universal, meaning exploitation is opportunistic against sites meeting that condition rather than blanket-exploitable. No SSVC decision data was supplied.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated attacker crafts a WordPress search query (or otherwise influences the search results page) on a site where the AIOSEO breadcrumb is rendered on that page, injecting shortcode syntax that the plugin passes to do_shortcode without proper validation. When the breadcrumb renders, the injected shortcode executes in the site's context, potentially invoking any shortcode registered by WordPress core or other installed plugins. No public exploit code has been identified at the time of analysis, and because attack complexity is low the primary barrier is the required breadcrumb-rendering configuration.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 03, 2026

Unauthenticated attackers can inject and execute arbitrary WordPress shortcodes through the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin in versions up to and including 5.0.2, because an attacker-controllable value is passed to do_shortcode without adequate validation when the plugin renders its breadcrumb trail on the site's search results page. The flaw is only reachable when the AIOSEO breadcrumb is actively displayed on search results via the breadcrumb block, widget, shortcode, or template tag, and the practical impact is bounded by which shortcodes are registered on the target site. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis and there is no CISA KEV listing; the issue is rated CVSS 6.5 (Medium), with the independent assessment treating attack complexity as higher than the vendor's vector because of the rendering precondition.

RemediationAI

Apply the upstream fix tracked in the WordPress.org Trac changeset 3723760 (https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3723760/all-in-one-seo-pack/trunk/app/Common/Breadcrumbs/Frontend.php), which addresses the breadcrumb rendering path; a tagged patched release has not been independently confirmed from the supplied data, so verify the current AIOSEO version in the WordPress plugin directory and update past 5.0.2 as soon as a release containing the fix is published. If an update is not yet possible, the most effective compensating control is to stop rendering the AIOSEO breadcrumb on the WordPress search results page - remove the AIOSEO breadcrumb block, widget, shortcode, or template tag from the search template (or conditionally suppress it on is_search()), which eliminates the vulnerable code path entirely at the cost of losing breadcrumb navigation on search pages only. Secondary, partial mitigations include deploying a WAF rule that rejects or neutralizes square-bracket shortcode syntax in the search query parameter and restricting which plugins register privileged shortcodes; both are bypassable and should be treated as interim measures rather than fixes. Note that because exploitation is limited to shortcodes actually registered on the site, reducing the installed shortcode surface (disabling unused plugins that expose shortcode handlers) proportionally reduces exposure.

Affected VersionsENISA

All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 0 ≤5.0.2

Affected Packages

euvd all_in_one_seo_ai_seo_plugin_to_boost_seo_rankings_traffic_schema_local_seo_sitemap_seo_insights 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

The affected component is AIOSEO's breadcrumb subsystem implemented in app/Common/Breadcrumbs/ (Frontend.php, Breadcrumbs.php, and Tags.php), which assembles the breadcrumb trail from the current request context. The WordPress Shortcode API function do_shortcode() re-parses a string for [shortcode] tokens and invokes every registered shortcode callback it finds, so any attacker-influenced string that reaches do_shortcode() converts data into executable plugin functionality. This is CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code / Code Injection): the plugin fails to validate and sanitize the value before handing it to do_shortcode, meaning content sourced from the search query is treated as shortcode markup rather than as literal text. Because the vulnerable path is only entered during breadcrumb output on the search results page, exploitation is contingent on the site actually rendering the AIOSEO breadcrumb there - through the breadcrumb block, the legacy widget, the shortcode, or the PHP template tag. Once that condition holds, the attack requires no authentication and no victim interaction (PR:N/UI:N), and what an attacker can ultimately invoke is determined by the shortcode handlers core WordPress and other installed plugins expose, which typically limits outcomes to information disclosure, content manipulation, or abuse of any privileged shortcode another plugin happens to register. The upstream fix is visible in the WordPress.org plugin Trac changeset 3723760, which modifies app/Common/Breadcrumbs/Frontend.php relative to the 5.0.2 tag.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (Wordfence) PRIMARY 6.5 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
vuln.today AI 4.8 MEDIUM

Network and unauthenticated (AV:N/PR:N), but AC:H because exploitation depends on the non-default condition of a breadcrumb being rendered on the search results page; impact limited to Low C/I.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (Wordfence).

CVSS VectorVendor: Wordfence

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

DescriptionCVE.org

The The All in One SEO - AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in all versions up to, and including, 5.0.2 This is due to the software allowing users to execute an action that does not properly validate a value before running do_shortcode. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes. This requires the AIOSEO breadcrumb to be rendered on the search results page via the block, widget, shortcode, or template tag.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 73% exploitable
Prevalence
High
All in One SEO is a top-tier WordPress SEO plugin with millions of installs
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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact· derived
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

32
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +32
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Code Injection CRITICAL

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