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

CVE-2026-8042

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-27
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 Github Shortcode plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'repo' shortcode attribute in the 'github' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 0.1 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. 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 Github Shortcode plugin for WordPress versions up to 0.1 contains a Stored XSS vulnerability in the 'github' shortcode's 'repo' attribute. The plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape user input when rendering the 'repo' parameter, allowing authenticated Contributors+ to inject malicious JavaScript that executes whenever pages containing the shortcode are accessed.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to a patched version once available, or implement proper input sanitization using WordPress functions like sanitize_text_field() and output escaping with esc_attr() for the 'repo' shortcode attribute throughout 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 Github Shortcode plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Github Shortcode' or check the plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/github-shortcode/github-shortcode.php for the Version line
    Affected if Plugin is installed and version is 0.1 or below (or version line is missing/earlier than a patched release)
  2. Locate use of the github shortcode with repo attribute
    Search your WordPress database posts table for shortcode pattern '[github' and specifically look for 'repo=' attribute in the content, or use a search tool to scan wp_posts for the shortcode
    Affected if Any published post, page, or custom post type contains [github repo="..."] shortcode with user-supplied repo values
  3. Check for Contributor+ user roles on the site
    In WordPress admin, go to Users > All Users and review the Role column, or query wp_usermeta for role values; Contributor role allows shortcode usage
    Affected if Any user with Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator role exists who could potentially add or edit content containing the shortcode
  4. Verify plugin code lacks proper sanitization for repo attribute
    Examine the plugin file github-shortcode.php and search for the shortcode handler function; check if sanitize_text_field() or esc_attr() is applied to the repo parameter before output
    Affected if The code directly uses the repo attribute in HTML output without sanitization/escaping functions, or no sanitization is found in the shortcode callback

You are affected if the Github Shortcode plugin (version 0.1 or earlier) is installed, the [github repo="..."] shortcode is in use, and Contributors+ users can access your WordPress content with the plugin lacking proper input sanitization for the repo attribute.

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

Update the plugin to a patched version once available, or implement proper input sanitization using WordPress functions like sanitize_text_field() and output escaping with esc_attr() for the 'repo' shortcode attribute throughout the plugin.

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-2026-8042 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
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