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CVE Record

CVE-2026-4072: WordPress PayPal Donation <= 1.01 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'amount' Shortcode Attribute

The WordPress PayPal Donation plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'donate' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 1.01. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied shortcode attributes such as 'amount', 'email', 'title', 'return_url', 'cancel_url', 'ccode', and 'image'. The wordpress_paypal_donation_create() function uses extract(shortcode_atts(...)) to process shortcode attributes and then directly interpolates these values into HTML output within single-quoted attribute values without any escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.

MediumCVSS 6.4Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2026-4072 affects the WordPress PayPal Donation plugin through version 1.01. A logged-in user with Contributor-level access or higher can store malicious script inside donation shortcode attributes. That script can run when someone views the affected page, creating risk to site administrators and visitors.

Executive priority

Treat as a medium-priority web risk. It is not known to be exploited publicly, but it can affect customer-facing pages and administrator sessions if a contributor account is misused or compromised.

Technical view

The issue is stored cross-site scripting in the plugin’s donate shortcode handling. User-controlled shortcode attributes, including amount and related fields, are insufficiently sanitized and escaped before being interpolated into HTML attributes. The CVSS 3.1 score is 6.4, with low privileges required and changed scope.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to WordPress sites using WordPress PayPal Donation version 1.01 or earlier where untrusted or compromised Contributor+ accounts can create shortcode content.

Exploitation context

No active exploitation is indicated in the provided sources, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. Abuse requires authenticated access at Contributor level or above, but stored XSS can affect later viewers of the injected page.

Researcher notes

The source description points to wordpress_paypal_donation_create() using extract(shortcode_atts(...)) and directly interpolating shortcode attributes into HTML without escaping. Public code references include trunk and tag 1.01 around lines 260 and 271.

Mitigation direction

  • Check the plugin vendor, WordPress plugin page, and Wordfence guidance for fixed versions or removal guidance.
  • Disable or remove the plugin if no trusted update is available and donation functionality is not essential.
  • Restrict Contributor and higher roles to trusted users only.
  • Review existing posts and pages containing donation shortcodes for unexpected attributes or content.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory WordPress sites for the WordPress PayPal Donation plugin and installed version.
  • Confirm whether versions are 1.01 or earlier.
  • Identify users with Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator roles.
  • Review pages and posts using the donate shortcode for suspicious attribute values.
  • Monitor for administrator or visitor reports of unexpected scripts or page behavior.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
7

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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cwe · medium confidence lookup

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.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2026-4072 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
6.4 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Official CVE source material

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.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
6.4CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N3.12.7Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

6.4Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2026-4072Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
tstachlWordPress PayPal Donation0unaffected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-79

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-79 · source CWE mapping

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.

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