dbcve.org
Cross-site Scripting (XSS)Weakness · CWE-79

CVE-2026-4073

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-08
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 pdfl.io plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'pdflio' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.5. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on the 'text' shortcode attribute. The output_shortcode() function directly concatenates the user-supplied $text variable into HTML output without applying esc_html() 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 pdfl.io WordPress plugin up to 1.0.5 has a Stored XSS vulnerability in the 'pdflio' shortcode's 'text' attribute. The output_shortcode() function directly outputs the user-supplied $text variable into HTML without escaping (no esc_html() call), allowing authenticated attackers with Contributor+ permissions to inject malicious JavaScript that executes when users view affected pages.

MitigationApply esc_html() or appropriate escaping to the 'text' attribute in the output_shortcode() function before HTML output, and audit all other shortcode attributes for similar missing escaping.

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 pdfl.io plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'pdfl.io' in the plugin list. Note the plugin status (active/inactive).
    Affected if The pdfl.io plugin is present and active in the WordPress installation.
  2. Identify installed plugin version
    In the plugins list, locate the pdfl.io entry and check the version number displayed below the plugin name. Compare this version against the affected range (up to and including 1.0.5).
    Affected if The installed version is 1.0.5 or lower.
  3. Find usages of the pdflio shortcode
    Search the WordPress database or exported content for the '[pdflio' shortcode pattern. This can be done via WP Admin > Posts > All Posts > Bulk Actions > Export, or by querying the wp_posts table for post_content containing 'pdflio'.
    Affected if Any post, page, or custom post type content contains the [pdflio] shortcode.
  4. Inspect shortcode for vulnerable text attribute
    Examine the shortcode usage found in step 3. Look specifically for the 'text' attribute, for example: [pdflio text="value"]. Note whether this attribute is present in any shortcode instances.
    Affected if The shortcode usage includes the 'text' attribute with user-controlled content, as this is the unescaped output parameter.
  5. Check for unescaped output in plugin code (optional verification)
    If file access is available, locate the plugin file containing the output_shortcode() function. Examine the function to confirm whether $text variable is directly concatenated into HTML without esc_html() or esc_attr() escaping.
    Affected if The output_shortcode() function directly outputs the 'text' attribute value without proper escaping functions.

A user is affected if the pdfl.io plugin version is 1.0.5 or lower AND the [pdflio] shortcode with a 'text' attribute is actively used in any published content 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_html() or appropriate escaping to the 'text' attribute in the output_shortcode() function before HTML output, and audit all other shortcode attributes for similar missing escaping.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-4073 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-4073 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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