dbcve.org
Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox ThemeWordPress extension · Averta

CVE-2024-12588

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.17.3 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's Staff widget in all versions up to, and including, 2.17.2 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. 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.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme plugin for WordPress contains a stored XSS vulnerability in its Staff widget. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied attributes, allowing authenticated attackers with contributor-level or higher permissions to inject malicious JavaScript that executes when users access affected pages.

MitigationUpdate the Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme plugin to version 2.17.3 or later. If immediate update is not possible, implement proper input sanitization (sanitize_text_field, esc_attr) and output escaping (esc_html, esc_attr) on all user-supplied attributes in the Staff widget code.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox ThemeWordPress extension
Affected:< 2.17.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify the Phlox plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme' or 'Averta Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox Theme'
    Affected if The plugin is not found in the plugin list, meaning the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    In the Plugins list, click on the plugin name to view details, or check the plugin header comment in the main PHP file (usually auxin-the-next-gen.php or similar in wp-content/plugins/auxin-themes-core)
    Affected if The version displayed is less than 2.17.3 (e.g., 2.17.2, 2.17.1, 2.16.x, etc.)
  3. Check if the Staff widget is in use
    Navigate to the Pages or Posts where the Staff widget shortcode [aux_staff] or widget is used, or check Appearance > Widgets if the widget area is used
    Affected if The Staff widget/shortcode is actively used on any page or post on the site
  4. Inspect Staff widget configuration for injected scripts
    Edit pages/posts containing the Staff widget, open the widget settings, and examine all text fields (name, title, bio, social links) for suspicious script tags or event handlers like onload=, onerror=, javascript:
    Affected if Any Staff widget configuration contains unsanitized user content that could execute as JavaScript when the page loads

You are affected if the plugin version is below 2.17.3 AND the Staff widget is being used on your site, as the XSS can only trigger through that specific widget.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.17.3 or later
Fixed in 2.17.3
Interim mitigation

Update the Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme plugin to version 2.17.3 or later. If immediate update is not possible, implement proper input sanitization (sanitize_text_field, esc_attr) and output escaping (esc_html, esc_attr) on all user-supplied attributes in the Staff widget code.

Recommended fix High confidence

Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox Theme version 2.17.3

  1. Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins
  2. Find 'Shortcodes and Extra Features for Phlox Theme' in the plugin list
  3. Click 'Update Now' to update the plugin to the latest version, or manually update to version 2.17.3 or higher
  4. Verify the update was successful by checking the plugin version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox Theme Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-12588 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data