CVE-2026-3481 WP Blockade <= 0.9.14 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via 'shortcode' Parameter
Authenticated attackers can inject arbitrary scripts via the shortcode parameter, potentially leading to session hijacking or malicious actions on behalf of other users.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-3481?
CVE-2026-3481 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in burlingtonbytes WP Blockade – Visual Page Builder, published on 22 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
The WP Blockade plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the 'shortcode' parameter in all versions up to and including 0.9.14. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the render_shortcode_preview() function. The function receives user input from $_GET['shortcode'], passes it through stripslashes() without any sanitization, and then outputs it directly via echo do_shortcode($shortcode) on line 393. When the input is not a valid WordPress shortcode (e.g., an HTML tag with JavaScript event handlers), do_shortcode() returns it unchanged, and it is reflected into the page without escaping. The endpoint is registered via admin_post_ (not admin_post_nopriv_), meaning it requires the user to be logged in with at minimum a Subscriber-level account. There is no nonce verification or additional capability check. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute if they can successfully trick a user into performing an action such as clicking a link.
Weakness: CWE-79
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-3481?
How do I fix CVE-2026-3481?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-3481 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Escape output for the context it lands in and set a strict Content Security Policy. Upgrading the affected component is the real fix. More about Cross-site scripting.
Is CVE-2026-3481 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-3481 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-p9mp-xq3w-289v.