CVE-2026-74008 in Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/18/2026
Unauthenticated Sensitive Data Exposure in Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme <= 2.17.22 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2026
The vulnerability identified as an unauthenticated sensitive data exposure within the Phlox WordPress theme, specifically affecting versions up to 2.17.22, represents a critical security flaw that allows attackers to access confidential information without requiring valid credentials or authentication tokens. This issue primarily stems from improper input validation and insufficient authorization checks implemented in certain shortcode handlers and auxiliary features of the theme. In typical web application architectures, shortcodes are designed as convenient tools for content creators to embed dynamic functionality into posts and pages, but they must strictly enforce access controls to prevent unauthorized data retrieval. The flaw indicates that specific endpoints or functions associated with these shortcodes fail to verify whether the requesting user has legitimate administrative privileges or any authenticated session state before processing requests and returning sensitive system details.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-200, which categorizes information exposure as an error where software leaks data that could be exploited by attackers to gain further access or insight into the internal workings of the application. The lack of authentication checks means that any individual on the internet can craft HTTP requests targeting these specific shortcode parameters. By manipulating query strings or POST bodies associated with the vulnerable shortcodes, an attacker can trigger server-side operations that return database queries results, configuration file contents, user metadata, or other proprietary data structures. This type of flaw is often a result of developer oversight during the implementation phase, where convenience and ease of use were prioritized over security best practices regarding access control lists and permission verification mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for any website running the affected version of the Phlox theme. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform information gathering that facilitates more advanced attacks such as credential stuffing, social engineering, or targeted phishing campaigns. The exposed data may include user email addresses, usernames, database connection strings, API keys, or internal server paths. This intelligence allows adversaries to map out the application's architecture and identify potential entry points for further exploitation. Furthermore, because the exposure is unauthenticated, it can be automated using simple scripts, leading to large-scale scraping of sensitive data across multiple vulnerable sites if they are not promptly patched.
This vulnerability also maps to specific techniques within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly T1005 Data from Local System which involves collecting information stored on local drives or databases accessible by the application. Additionally, it relates to T1213 Data from Information Repositories as attackers leverage exposed APIs or endpoints to extract structured data. The absence of proper authentication bypasses standard security boundaries established by web servers and frameworks, effectively treating protected resources as public ones. This undermines the principle of least privilege and compromises the confidentiality integrity triad essential for secure software operation.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action is required from site administrators and developers maintaining instances of the Phlox theme. The primary remediation step involves upgrading to a version of the theme that includes patches addressing these authorization flaws. If an upgrade is not immediately feasible due to compatibility constraints with other plugins or custom code modifications, temporary mitigations should be implemented at the web server level. This can include configuring firewall rules to restrict access to specific endpoint URLs associated with the vulnerable shortcodes or implementing rate limiting to reduce the effectiveness of automated scraping attempts. Additionally, developers should review all shortcode implementations in their custom child themes to ensure that every function calling external data sources includes rigorous authentication checks using standard WordPress functions such as current_user_can before executing any logic that returns sensitive information. Regular security audits and code reviews focusing on input validation and access control are essential preventive measures against similar vulnerabilities in the future.