CVE-2025-11768 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability classified under CWE-79, found in the Islamic Phrases plugin for WordPress developed by darto. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 2.12.2015. It stems from insufficient sanitization and escaping of the 'phrases' shortcode attribute, which is used to insert Islamic phrases into WordPress pages. Authenticated users with contributor-level access or higher can exploit this flaw by injecting arbitrary JavaScript code into pages via the shortcode attribute. Because the injection is stored, the malicious script executes every time any user accesses the infected page, potentially compromising user sessions, stealing cookies, or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of users. The CVSS 3.1 score is 6.4, indicating medium severity, with an attack vector over the network, low complexity, requiring privileges but no user interaction, and impacting confidentiality and integrity with no effect on availability. No patches or fixes are currently linked, and no exploits are known in the wild. The vulnerability highlights the risk of inadequate input validation in WordPress plugins, especially those that allow user-generated content or shortcode attributes. It is critical for site administrators to monitor user roles and restrict contributor privileges, as well as to apply security best practices until an official patch is released.

The impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations running WordPress sites with the Islamic Phrases plugin installed. Since the exploit requires only contributor-level access, attackers who gain such privileges—potentially through compromised accounts or insider threats—can inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of any user visiting the affected pages. This can lead to session hijacking, theft of sensitive information such as cookies or credentials, defacement of website content, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users with higher privileges. The scope includes all users who visit the infected pages, potentially affecting administrators and site visitors alike. While availability is not impacted, the confidentiality and integrity of user data and site content are at risk. This can damage organizational reputation, lead to data breaches, and facilitate further attacks such as phishing or malware distribution. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk, but the medium CVSS score and ease of exploitation by authenticated users warrant prompt attention.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should implement several specific measures beyond generic advice: 1) Immediately audit and restrict user roles, especially contributor-level access, to trusted individuals only, minimizing the risk of malicious script injection. 2) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious shortcode attribute inputs containing script tags or unusual payloads. 3) Manually sanitize and validate all shortcode inputs on the server side if possible, applying strict input validation and output encoding to neutralize script injection attempts. 4) Monitor website content and logs for unusual changes or injected scripts, enabling early detection of exploitation attempts. 5) Disable or remove the Islamic Phrases plugin temporarily if it is not essential until an official patch or update is released by the vendor. 6) Educate content contributors about the risks of injecting untrusted content and enforce security policies for content submission. 7) Keep WordPress core and all plugins updated regularly to benefit from security patches. These targeted actions will reduce the attack surface and help prevent exploitation of this stored XSS vulnerability.