# CVE-2023-5137: Simply Excerpts <= 1.4 - Admin+ Stored XSS

> Administrators can inject arbitrary web scripts via unsanitized plugin settings, bypassing unfiltered_html restrictions in multisite environments.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 4 Dec 2023
- **Updated:** 29 May 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-w9wc-5fqr-x2g2

## What is CVE-2023-5137?

CVE-2023-5137 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Unknown Simply Excerpts, published on 4 Dec 2023. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The Simply Excerpts WordPress plugin through 1.4 does not sanitize and escape some fields in the plugin settings, which could allow high-privilege users such as an administrator to inject arbitrary web scripts even when the unfiltered_html capability is disallowed (for example in a multisite setup).

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-5137?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Shooflysolutions Simply Excerpts.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-5137?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-5137 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-5137 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-5137 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-5137 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-5137 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Unknown Simply Excerpts, published on 4 Dec 2023. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-5137 exists.

Affected product: Unknown Simply Excerpts. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5137/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5137/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5137
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5137
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-5137

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5137/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.