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

CVE-2026-3617

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-21
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 Paypal Shortcode plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'amount' and 'name' shortcode attributes in all versions up to, and including, 0.3. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied shortcode attributes. The swer_paypal_shortcode() function extracts shortcode attributes using extract() and shortcode_atts() at line 89, then directly concatenates the $name and $amount values into HTML input element value attributes at lines 105-106 without applying esc_attr() or any other escaping function. 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 PayPal Shortcode plugin for WordPress (versions up to 0.3) contains a stored XSS vulnerability in the swer_paypal_shortcode() function. The function uses extract() and shortcode_atts() to process shortcode attributes, then directly outputs the $name and $amount values into HTML input value attributes at lines 105-106 without applying esc_attr() or any escaping function. Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access can inject arbitrary JavaScript via shortcode attributes that executes when users view injected pages.

MitigationApply esc_attr() to $name and $amount values before outputting them in HTML input value attributes (lines 105-106). Consider replacing extract() with direct shortcode_atts() array access for improved security. Update to patched version when available.

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. Verify PayPal Shortcode plugin is installed
    Access WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins, or inspect /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder named 'paypal-shortcode' or similar
    Affected if Plugin is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, view plugin details from Plugins > Installed Plugins, or open the main plugin PHP file and look for the Version header in the plugin comment block
    Affected if Version is 0.3 or lower (any version up to and including 0.3)
  3. Locate the vulnerable function
    In the plugin directory, open the main PHP file and search for function swer_paypal_shortcode()
    Affected if The function exists in the codebase (vulnerability is present in the code)
  4. Inspect the vulnerable code lines
    Examine lines 105-106 in the plugin file containing the shortcode function - look for echo statements outputting $name and $amount into input value attributes without esc_attr()
    Affected if The $name and $amount variables are output directly into HTML input value attributes without escaping functions like esc_attr()
  5. Check for shortcode usage on site pages
    Search WordPress database (wp_posts table) or use a plugin to search for [paypal] or the specific shortcode tag used by this plugin in post_content
    Affected if The shortcode is actively used in any published posts or pages (indicates potential attack surface)

The environment is affected if the PayPal Shortcode plugin versions 0.3 or lower is installed, the vulnerable function exists in the code, and the shortcode is in use 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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply esc_attr() to $name and $amount values before outputting them in HTML input value attributes (lines 105-106). Consider replacing extract() with direct shortcode_atts() array access for improved security. Update to patched version when available.

Have this fixed 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
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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-2026-3617 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data