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

CVE-2024-1357

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.15.8 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 aux_timeline shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 2.15.7 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes such as thumb_mode and date_type. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with contributor-level and above permissions 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 the aux_timeline shortcode. The plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape user-supplied attributes (thumb_mode and date_type), allowing authenticated attackers with contributor-level permissions or higher to inject malicious JavaScript that executes when other users view affected pages.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 2.15.8 or later, which should include proper input sanitization using WordPress sanitization functions (sanitize_text_field, esc_attr) and output escaping for the vulnerable shortcode attributes.

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:< 2.15.8

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 plugin is installed
    Log in to WordPress admin and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme' or 'Averta Shortcodes And Extra Features For Phlox Theme'.
    Affected if The plugin appears in the installed plugins list.
  2. Check the installed version
    In the plugins list, locate the version number next to the plugin name. Compare it to the affected range: versions before 2.15.8 are vulnerable.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 2.15.8.
  3. Search for aux_timeline shortcode usage
    In WordPress admin, go to Posts or Pages and search for [aux_timeline] shortcode in the content editor or use a plugin/database query to find posts containing this shortcode string.
    Affected if Any post or page contains the aux_timeline shortcode.
  4. Inspect shortcode attributes in content
    If aux_timeline is found, examine the shortcode for thumb_mode and date_type attributes, for example: [aux_timeline thumb_mode="..." date_type="..."]. These attributes accept user input that is not properly escaped.
    Affected if The shortcode includes thumb_mode or date_type attributes with any value.

A user is affected if the plugin version is below 2.15.8 AND the aux_timeline shortcode with thumb_mode or date_type attributes is present in any post or page on the site.

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 2.15.8 or later
Fixed in 2.15.8
Interim mitigation

Update the plugin to version 2.15.8 or later, which should include proper input sanitization using WordPress sanitization functions (sanitize_text_field, esc_attr) and output escaping for the vulnerable shortcode attributes.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.15.8

  1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find 'Shortcodes and Extra Features for Phlox Theme' in the plugin list
  4. Check if current version is below 2.15.8
  5. If vulnerable, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to version 2.15.8
  6. Verify the update completed successfully

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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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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-2024-1357 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