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

CVE-2026-7509

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-22
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 KIA Subtitle plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's `the-subtitle` shortcode `before` and `after` attributes in all versions up to, and including, 4.0.1. This is 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 KIA Subtitle WordPress plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape the `before` and `after` attributes of its `the-subtitle` shortcode. An authenticated attacker with Contributor-level access can inject malicious JavaScript through these attributes, which then executes stored XSS whenever users view affected pages.

MitigationUpdate KIA Subtitle to the latest version or implement proper input sanitization (e.g., esc_attr()) and output escaping (e.g., esc_html()) on the shortcode's before/after parameters before rendering.

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 KIA Subtitle plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'KIA Subtitle' in the list. Note whether it is active or inactive.
    Affected if The plugin is present and active in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed plugin version
    Click on the plugin name or view the plugin details to display the installed version number. Compare this to the affected range: versions before 4.0.2 are vulnerable.
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 4.0.2
  3. Identify usage of the vulnerable shortcode
    Search the WordPress database or content pages for the shortcode '[the-subtitle]' including any use of 'before' or 'after' attributes. This can be done via wp-admin > Posts > All Posts, or by querying the wp_posts table for post_content containing 'the-subtitle'.
    Affected if Pages or posts contain the 'the-subtitle' shortcode with 'before' or 'after' attributes
  4. Review shortcode attribute values for injection
    Examine the content of pages using the shortcode. Look at the 'before=' and 'after=' parameter values. Check for unexpected characters like < > " ' or JavaScript keywords that may indicate malicious payload injection.
    Affected if The shortcode attributes contain unsanitized HTML or JavaScript code
  5. Check for Contributor-level user accounts
    In WordPress admin, go to Users > All Users and review the roles assigned. Contributor role permits shortcode usage but cannot publish directly.
    Affected if Any user account has Contributor or higher role, allowing authenticated exploitation

The environment is affected if KIA Subtitle plugin version is before 4.0.2 and the 'the-subtitle' shortcode with 'before' or 'after' attributes 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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update KIA Subtitle to the latest version or implement proper input sanitization (e.g., esc_attr()) and output escaping (e.g., esc_html()) on the shortcode's before/after parameters before rendering.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version 4.0.2 or later (check wordpress.org for latest stable release)

  1. 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the KIA Subtitle plugin
  4. 4. Check the current installed version (should be 4.0.1 or below)
  5. 5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest patched version
  6. 6. Alternatively, download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/kia-subtitle/ and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  7. 7. After updating, verify the fix by confirming shortcode attributes are properly sanitized

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,780
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,848.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-7509 — 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-2026-7509 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