CVE-2026-4072: The WordPress PayPal Donation plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'donate' shortcode in all versions up to, and ...

Description

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.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

6.4/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.19%

9.2th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-79

References

Timeline

Published: Mar 21, 2026
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Deferred

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-4072?

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.

How severe is CVE-2026-4072?

CVE-2026-4072 has a CVSS score of 6.4/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.19% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-4072?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.