The Recent Posts Widget Extended plugin for WordPress suffers from a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79) due to improper neutralization of input during web page generation. Specifically, the 'rpwe' shortcode does not adequately sanitize or escape user-supplied attributes, allowing authenticated users with contributor or higher privileges to inject malicious scripts. These scripts execute in the context of any user who views the injected page, potentially leading to session hijacking or other script-based attacks. The vulnerability affects all versions up to 2.0.2. There is no vendor advisory or patch currently documented.

An attacker with contributor-level access or higher can exploit this vulnerability to inject persistent malicious scripts into pages using the 'rpwe' shortcode. These scripts execute in the browsers of users who visit the affected pages, potentially leading to theft of user credentials, session tokens, or other sensitive information. The vulnerability does not affect availability but impacts confidentiality and integrity. No known exploits in the wild have been reported to date.

Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, restrict contributor-level access to trusted users only and consider disabling or removing the Recent Posts Widget Extended plugin if feasible. Monitor for updates from themejunkie regarding a security patch.