What the vulnerability does
01Description
The Listen Shortcode plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'listen' shortcode in versions up to, and including, 1.0. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes (src, start, end) in the listenEmbedJS() function, which are echoed inside a single-quoted HTML attribute without 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
Listen Shortcode versions 1.0 and earlier contain a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability. An authenticated user with low privileges can inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of other site visitors, potentially compromising their sessions or stealing sensitive data. The vulnerability affects the scope beyond the vulnerable component itself.
What an attacker can do
03Attacker Capabilities
Inject malicious scripts that run in other users' browsers when they view affected pages.
Potential impact on your site
04Site Impact
Visitors' sessions and data can be compromised by authenticated users with low privileges injecting malicious code.
Conditions required to exploit
05Prerequisites
Attacker must have a low-privilege authenticated account on the site.
Key dates
06Disclosure timeline
May 27, 2026
CVE published
May 27, 2026
Record updated
