What the vulnerability does
01Description
The Hostel plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'wphostel-book' shortcode in all versions up to and including 1.1.7. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied shortcode attributes. Specifically, the second shortcode attribute (used as button text) is passed to the `$text` variable without sanitization at line 79 and then output directly into an HTML `value` attribute at line 91 without `esc_attr()` or any other 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.
Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms
02Summary
Hostel versions up to 1.1.7 contain a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that allows authenticated users to inject malicious scripts. The vulnerability has a changed scope, meaning the impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component to affect other users or site functionality. Low-privileged accounts can exploit this without user interaction.
What an attacker can do
03Attacker Capabilities
Inject and execute malicious JavaScript in the browser of other site users.
Potential impact on your site
04Site Impact
Other users' sessions or data could be compromised if an attacker with site access injects malicious scripts.
Conditions required to exploit
05Prerequisites
Attacker must have a low-privilege account on the site; no user interaction required.
Key dates
06Disclosure timeline
July 10, 2026
CVE published
