📄 Description (English)
The ePaperFlip Publisher plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'publicationid' attribute of the `epaperflip_embed` shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 1. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on the shortcode attribute which is injected directly into inline JavaScript. 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.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
The ePaperFlip Publisher WordPress plugin contains a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the epaperflip_embed shortcode that allows authenticated contributors to inject malicious scripts. The vulnerability affects all versions up to 1.x and has no available patch. While requiring authenticated access, this poses a significant risk to WordPress sites hosting digital publications, particularly in Saudi organizations using WordPress for content management.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Jun 9, 2026 09:03
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
Saudi media organizations, government agencies, and educational institutions using WordPress with the ePaperFlip Publisher plugin are at risk. High-risk sectors include: Government (publishing official documents and reports), Media & Publishing (digital newspaper/magazine distribution), Education (academic publications), and Corporate Communications (internal publications). The vulnerability allows malicious insiders or compromised contributor accounts to inject scripts that execute for all readers, potentially leading to credential theft, malware distribution, or defacement of official publications.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government
Media & Publishing
Education
Corporate Communications
Healthcare (if using for patient education materials)
Banking (if using for customer communications)
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
6.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
Immediate Actions:
1. Audit all WordPress sites using ePaperFlip Publisher plugin for suspicious shortcode usage
2. Review contributor and author account access logs for unauthorized activity
3. Disable the epaperflip_embed shortcode functionality until patched
4. Remove or deactivate the ePaperFlip Publisher plugin if not actively used
Compensating Controls:
1. Implement strict contributor role management - limit to trusted users only
2. Enable WordPress security plugins (Wordfence, Sucuri) with XSS detection rules
3. Apply Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block script injection patterns in POST requests
4. Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict inline script execution
5. Use WordPress security hardening: disable file editing, implement 2FA for all admin accounts
Detection Rules:
1. Monitor for shortcodes containing 'javascript:', 'onerror=', 'onload=' patterns
2. Alert on contributor/author posts containing script tags or event handlers
3. Log all modifications to posts/pages containing epaperflip_embed shortcodes
4. Monitor for unusual JavaScript execution in page context
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تدقيق جميع مواقع WordPress التي تستخدم مكون ePaperFlip Publisher للبحث عن استخدام اختصار مريب
2. مراجعة سجلات الوصول لحسابات المساهم والمؤلف للبحث عن نشاط غير مصرح
3. تعطيل وظيفة اختصار epaperflip_embed حتى يتم إصلاحها
4. إزالة أو تعطيل مكون ePaperFlip Publisher إذا لم يكن قيد الاستخدام النشط
الضوابط التعويضية:
1. تنفيذ إدارة صارمة لدور المساهم - تقصير على المستخدمين الموثوقين فقط
2. تفعيل مكونات أمان WordPress (Wordfence, Sucuri) مع قواعد كشف XSS
3. تطبيق قواعد جدار حماية تطبيقات الويب (WAF) لحظر أنماط حقن البرامج النصية
4. تنفيذ رؤوس سياسة أمان المحتوى (CSP) لتقييد تنفيذ البرامج النصية المضمنة
5. تعزيز أمان WordPress: تعطيل تحرير الملفات، تنفيذ المصادقة الثنائية لجميع حسابات المسؤول
قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة الاختصارات التي تحتوي على أنماط 'javascript:', 'onerror=', 'onload='
2. التنبيه على منشورات المساهم/المؤلف التي تحتوي على علامات البرامج النصية أو معالجات الأحداث
3. تسجيل جميع التعديلات على المنشورات/الصفحات التي تحتوي على اختصارات epaperflip_embed
4. مراقبة تنفيذ JavaScript غير العادي في سياق الصفحة
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
A.5.1.1 - Information Security Policies (access control and authentication)
A.6.1.2 - User Access Management (contributor role restrictions)
A.7.1.1 - Physical and Environmental Security (logical access controls)
A.12.2.1 - Change Management (plugin updates and patches)
A.12.4.1 - Event Logging (monitoring shortcode modifications)
A.13.1.1 - Network Security (WAF implementation)
🔵 SAMA CSF
ID.AM-2 - Asset Management (inventory of WordPress plugins)
PR.AC-1 - Access Control (contributor role management)
PR.PT-1 - Protection Processes (input validation and output encoding)
DE.CM-1 - Detection and Analysis (monitoring for XSS patterns)
RS.RP-1 - Response Planning (incident response for compromised accounts)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.5.1.1 - Information security policies
A.6.1.2 - User access management
A.8.1.1 - User endpoint devices
A.12.2.1 - Change management
A.12.4.1 - Event logging
A.13.1.1 - Network security perimeter
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
Requirement 1.1 - Firewall configuration standards (WAF rules)
Requirement 2.2.4 - Configure system security parameters
Requirement 6.5.1 - Injection flaws prevention
Requirement 6.5.7 - Cross-site scripting prevention
Requirement 10.2.1 - User access logging
🔗 References & Sources 3
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https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/epaperflip-publisher/trunk/ePaperFlip%20Publ...
security@wordfence.com
https://wordpress.org/plugins/epaperflip-publisher/
security@wordfence.com
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/93be1150-4c83-4fa3-8dc6-71e2f...
security@wordfence.com