CVE-2026-5797: The Quiz And Survey Master plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary Shortcode Execution in versions up to and including 11.1.0. This is due to ...

Description

The Quiz And Survey Master plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary Shortcode Execution in versions up to and including 11.1.0. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and the execution of do_shortcode() on user-submitted quiz answer text. User-submitted answers pass through sanitize_text_field() and htmlspecialchars(), which only strip HTML tags but do not encode or remove shortcode brackets [ and ]. When quiz results are displayed, the plugin calls do_shortcode() on the entire results page output (including user answers), causing any injected shortcodes to be executed. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary WordPress shortcodes such as [qsm_result id=X] to access other users' quiz submissions without authorization, as the qsm_result shortcode lacks any authorization checks.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.3/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.52%

40.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-74

References

Timeline

Published: Apr 17, 2026
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Deferred

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-5797?

The Quiz And Survey Master plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary Shortcode Execution in versions up to and including 11.1.0. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and the execution of do_shortcode() on user-submitted quiz answer text. User-submitted answers pass through sanitize_text_field() and htmlspecialchars(), which only strip HTML tags but do not encode or remove shortcode brackets [ and ]. When quiz results are displayed, the plugin calls do_shortcode() on the entire results page output (including user answers), causing any injected shortcodes to be executed. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary WordPress shortcodes such as [qsm_result id=X] to access other users' quiz submissions without authorization, as the qsm_result shortcode lacks any authorization checks.

How severe is CVE-2026-5797?

CVE-2026-5797 has a CVSS score of 5.3/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.52% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-5797?

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.