CVE-2026-111979 in GiveWP Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2026
The GiveWP WordPress plugin before 4.19.0.1 does not properly sanitise and escape one of its donation form template settings before outputting it inside an HTML attribute, allowing users with a custom form-editing GiveWP WordPress plugin before 4.19.0.1 role to inject arbitrary web scripts that execute in the browser of any visitor or administrator who opens the affected donation form.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/25/2026
The vulnerability identified within versions of the GiveWP WordPress plugin prior to release 4.19.0.1 represents a significant security flaw rooted in insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Specifically, the defect lies in how the application handles one of its donation form template settings when rendering them into HTML attributes. The software fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data or escape special characters before embedding this information directly into the DOM structure. This lack of rigorous sanitization creates a direct pathway for Cross-Site Scripting attacks, commonly referred to as XSS. In web application security architecture, input validation is critical to ensure that only expected data formats are processed, while output encoding ensures that any dynamic content rendered in HTML contexts does not contain executable script tags or event handlers that could be interpreted by the browser's JavaScript engine.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability allows authenticated users who possess specific capabilities within WordPress, such as those with custom form-editing roles associated with GiveWP, to inject arbitrary web scripts into donation forms. When an administrator or another user views these affected donation forms in their web browser, the malicious script executes automatically due to the lack of proper escaping. This execution occurs within the context of the victim's session, granting the attacker the ability to perform actions as that user. The operational impact is severe because it compromises the confidentiality and integrity of the WordPress environment. Attackers can steal administrative cookies or authentication tokens, redirect users to phishing sites designed to harvest credentials, deface web pages, or potentially escalate privileges if combined with other vulnerabilities in the CMS ecosystem.
This flaw aligns closely with CWE-79, which classifies Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation as a Cross-site Scripting vulnerability. The specific mechanism involves failing to neutralize special characters that have meaning within HTML attributes, thereby allowing script injection. Furthermore, from an offensive security framework perspective, this behavior maps to the MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059, specifically sub-technique 007 for JavaScript execution via browser-based attacks. The attack vector relies on social engineering or direct access by a compromised low-level user account to inject payloads that are then executed by higher-privileged users who view the content. This highlights the risk of privilege escalation through stored XSS vectors where trusted sites execute untrusted scripts due to inadequate sanitization practices during data rendering.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action from site administrators and plugin maintainers. The primary remediation is upgrading the GiveWP WordPress plugin to version 4.19.0.1 or later, which addresses these input validation and output encoding deficiencies. For organizations unable to upgrade immediately due to compatibility constraints, implementing a Web Application Firewall can provide an additional layer of defense by filtering out malicious payloads in HTTP requests before they reach the application logic. Additionally, developers should enforce strict Content Security Policy headers that restrict script execution sources, although this is a compensating control rather than a fix for the root cause. It is also advisable to review user roles and capabilities within WordPress to ensure that only trusted administrators have access to form editing features, thereby reducing the attack surface available to potential intruders seeking to inject malicious scripts into donation forms.