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Cross-site Scripting (XSS)Weakness · CWE-79

CVE-2026-0738

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 WP Shortcodes Plugin - Shortcodes Ultimate plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the su_carousel shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 7.4.8. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the 'su_slide_link' attachment meta field. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author 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 Ultimate WordPress plugin versions up to 7.4.8 contain a stored XSS vulnerability in the su_carousel shortcode. The 'su_slide_link' attachment meta field lacks proper input sanitization and output escaping, allowing authenticated users with author-level permissions or higher to inject malicious JavaScript that executes whenever users access affected pages.

MitigationUpdate Shortcodes Ultimate to version 7.4.9 or later which contains proper sanitization and escaping for the su_slide_link field. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict carousel shortcode usage or temporarily disable the plugin.

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

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
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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. Identify if Shortcodes Ultimate plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Shortcodes Ultimate' or check the plugins directory for the su file/class
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active
  2. Check the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, find Shortcodes Ultimate, and note the version number displayed
    Affected if Version is lower than 7.4.9 (the patched version)
  3. Determine if su_carousel shortcode is in use
    Search WordPress post content, page content, widgets, or theme files for '[su_carousel' shortcode usage
    Affected if The su_carousel shortcode is present in any content
  4. Inspect attachment metadata for su_slide_link values
    Query the WordPress database: SELECT * FROM wp_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'su_slide_link' AND meta_value IS NOT NULL AND meta_value != '' (adjust prefix if wp_ is different)
    Affected if Any attachments have non-empty su_slide_link meta values stored

You are affected if Shortcodes Ultimate plugin is installed with a version below 7.4.9 AND the su_carousel shortcode is being used on your site, regardless of whether su_slide_link metadata is currently populated.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Shortcodes Ultimate to version 7.4.9 or later which contains proper sanitization and escaping for the su_slide_link field. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict carousel shortcode usage or temporarily disable the plugin.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Shortcodes Ultimate version 7.4.9 or later

  1. 1. Back up your WordPress site and database before making any changes
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
  3. 3. Locate 'Shortcodes Ultimate' (WP Shortcodes Plugin - Shortcodes Ultimate)
  4. 4. If automatic updates are enabled, check for available updates or manually update to version 7.4.9 or later
  5. 5. Verify the update was successful by checking the plugin version number
  6. 6. Test the su_carousel shortcode functionality to ensure it still works as expected
  7. 7. Clear any caching plugins or server-side caches after the update

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

Have this fixed 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
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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-2026-0738 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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