CVE-2023-5232 in Font Awesome More Icons Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
The Font Awesome More Icons plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'icon' shortcode in versions up to, and including, 3.5 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with contributor-level and above permissions to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/10/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-5232 affects the Font Awesome More Icons plugin for WordPress, specifically versions up to and including 3.5. This represents a critical security flaw that exploits the plugin's handling of user-supplied input through the 'icon' shortcode functionality. The vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization and escaping mechanisms that fail to properly validate or encode user-provided attributes before they are processed and rendered within web pages. Attackers with contributor-level permissions or higher can leverage this weakness to execute malicious scripts within the context of the victim's browser.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the plugin's shortcode processing system where the 'icon' attribute receives user input without proper validation. When an attacker creates or modifies content using the plugin's shortcode functionality, they can inject malicious JavaScript code through the icon parameter. This code gets stored within the WordPress database and subsequently executed whenever any user accesses pages containing the vulnerable shortcode. The flaw manifests as a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability, which differs from reflected XSS as the malicious payload persists and affects multiple users rather than being triggered by a single request.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for WordPress installations using the affected plugin. Contributors and higher-level users possess the ability to modify content, and since the vulnerability requires only contributor-level permissions, it can be exploited by users with relatively low privileges within the WordPress ecosystem. The impact extends beyond simple script execution as it allows attackers to potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, perform actions on behalf of users, or even escalate privileges within the WordPress environment. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once injected, the malicious code will persist until manually removed, potentially affecting all users who access pages containing the compromised content.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting flaws in software applications, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for the initial access phase through malicious content injection. Organizations should immediately update to the latest version of the Font Awesome More Icons plugin where this vulnerability has been patched. Administrators should also implement additional security measures such as restricting contributor-level permissions for users who do not require such access, monitoring content creation activities, and implementing content security policies to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The remediation process involves not only updating the plugin but also auditing existing content for potential malicious injections and ensuring proper input validation is implemented across all user-supplied parameters within the WordPress environment.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and output escaping in web applications, particularly within content management systems where multiple user roles exist. The flaw represents a classic example of how insufficient sanitization can create persistent security risks that affect multiple users over extended periods, making it essential for WordPress administrators to maintain up-to-date plugins and implement robust security monitoring practices.