Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This WordPress plugin flaw lets a lower-privileged site user plant malicious script content through icon shortcode settings. A contributor would need an admin to approve the post before visitors see it, while an editor could publish it directly. The source bundle does not report active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate web-content integrity issue. Prioritize updates on public WordPress sites with multiple content authors, because successful abuse could run script in visitors’ browsers and undermine trust in the site.
Technical view
Popular Brand Icons – Simple Icons before 2.7.8 does not sanitize or validate some shortcode parameters, including color, size, and class. The issue is stored XSS, mapped to CWE-79. Exploitation requires authenticated content access at Contributor level or higher, with publication requirements depending on role.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running Popular Brand Icons – Simple Icons before 2.7.8, especially sites allowing contributors, editors, or other non-admin users to create posts using plugin shortcodes.
Exploitation context
The cited description supports authenticated stored XSS, not unauthenticated compromise. Contributor-created content must be approved by an admin before frontend triggering; higher-privileged publishers such as editors may trigger it without approval. No KEV listing or cited source indicates active exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited but clear on the vulnerable pattern: unsanitized shortcode parameters leading to stored XSS. The available sources do not provide CVSS metrics, exploit status, or detailed vendor remediation beyond the before-2.7.8 version boundary.
Mitigation direction
- Update Popular Brand Icons – Simple Icons to 2.7.8 or later.
- Check vendor or WPScan guidance for any additional remediation notes.
- Restrict contributor and editor access until vulnerable versions are removed.
- Review pending and published posts containing plugin shortcodes.
- Disable the plugin if updating is not immediately possible.
Validation and detection
- Inventory WordPress sites for Popular Brand Icons – Simple Icons.
- Confirm installed plugin versions are not before 2.7.8.
- Review shortcode usage for unusual color, size, or class values.
- Check whether contributor or editor roles can publish affected content.
- Verify no cited source shows KEV-listed active exploitation.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-24503 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/18ab1570-2b4a-48a4-86e6-c1d368563691CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.