CVE-2024-2303 in Easy Textillate Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 03/26/2024
The Easy Textillate plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'textillate' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 2.01 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 • 04/13/2026
The Easy Textillate WordPress plugin presents a significant security vulnerability classified as stored cross-site scripting that affects all versions up to and including 2.01. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's textillate shortcode implementation, creating a persistent threat vector that can be exploited by authenticated attackers possessing contributor-level permissions or higher. The flaw allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts into pages that will execute whenever any user accesses those compromised pages, fundamentally compromising the integrity of the WordPress installation and potentially affecting all users who encounter the malicious content.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a stored XSS variant where malicious scripts are permanently saved on the server and executed each time the affected page is loaded. The vulnerability operates through the plugin's shortcode functionality, which processes user-supplied attributes without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to inject malicious code that gets stored in the database and subsequently executed in the context of other users' browsers. This creates a persistent threat that can affect any user who views pages containing the compromised shortcode, regardless of their permission level or authentication status.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and potential privilege escalation within the WordPress environment. Contributors and higher-level users who have the ability to create and edit posts or pages can leverage this vulnerability to inject scripts that persist across multiple user sessions, making the attack vector particularly dangerous for sites with multiple contributors or users with elevated permissions. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that once injected, the malicious scripts remain active until manually removed from the content, creating an ongoing security risk that can be exploited repeatedly.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate plugin updates to the latest version that addresses the sanitization and escaping issues, while also implementing additional security measures such as role-based access controls and content filtering. Organizations should conduct thorough security audits of their WordPress installations to identify any existing malicious scripts that may have been injected through this vulnerability, and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and prevent similar attacks. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1546.001 for 'System Scripting', highlighting the importance of monitoring for unauthorized script execution and maintaining proper input validation across all plugin and theme components to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in the broader WordPress ecosystem.