📄 Description (English)
The iWR Tooltip plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's `iwrtooltip` shortcode in versions up to, and including, 1.0. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes in the iwr_tooltip() shortcode handler — the `title` attribute is concatenated directly into an HTML attribute 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.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
The iWR Tooltip WordPress plugin (versions ≤1.0) contains a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the iwrtooltip shortcode that allows authenticated contributors to inject malicious scripts. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization on the 'title' attribute, which is directly concatenated into HTML without proper escaping. While requiring contributor-level access, this poses a significant risk in multi-user WordPress environments common in Saudi organizations, as injected scripts execute for all page visitors.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: May 28, 2026 21:33
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability primarily affects Saudi organizations using WordPress for content management, particularly: (1) Government agencies and municipalities using WordPress for public-facing portals and citizen services; (2) Educational institutions (universities, schools) managing course content and student portals; (3) Healthcare providers using WordPress for patient information systems and appointment booking; (4) Media and publishing organizations; (5) Small-to-medium enterprises using WordPress for business websites. The risk is elevated in organizations with multiple content contributors where access controls may not be strictly enforced. Compromised pages could lead to credential theft, malware distribution, or defacement affecting public trust in Saudi institutions.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government and Public Administration
Education
Healthcare
Media and Publishing
Telecommunications
Retail and E-commerce
Financial Services
Non-Governmental Organizations
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application
T1598 - Phishing
T1566 - Phishing (via compromised pages)
T1547 - Boot or Logon Autostart Execution (via injected scripts)
T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter (JavaScript execution)
T1539 - Steal Web Session Cookie (via XSS)
T1056 - Input Capture (credential harvesting via injected forms)
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
6.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Audit all WordPress installations using iWR Tooltip plugin across your organization
2. Review contributor and author user accounts for suspicious activity or shortcode modifications
3. Inspect page/post content for suspicious iwrtooltip shortcodes with encoded or obfuscated attributes
4. Disable the iWR Tooltip plugin immediately if not actively used
PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Contact plugin developer for security update timeline
2. If no patch becomes available, consider removing the plugin entirely
3. Evaluate alternative tooltip plugins with active security maintenance
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if plugin must remain active):
1. Restrict contributor role permissions: disable 'edit_posts' capability for untrusted users
2. Implement WordPress user role restrictions using security plugins (e.g., Members, User Role Editor)
3. Enable WordPress post revision history and monitor for unauthorized changes
4. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect/block XSS patterns in shortcode attributes
5. Use Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict inline script execution
DETECTION RULES:
1. Monitor WordPress database for iwrtooltip shortcodes containing: script tags, event handlers (onclick, onerror), encoded characters (%3C, %3E, &#x)
2. Log all post/page modifications by contributor-level users
3. Alert on any changes to posts containing iwrtooltip shortcodes
4. Monitor web server logs for requests with XSS payloads in URL parameters
5. Implement SIEM rules: detect_pattern = 'iwrtooltip.*title.*[<>"\']'
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تدقيق جميع تثبيتات WordPress التي تستخدم مكون iWR Tooltip عبر مؤسستك
2. مراجعة حسابات المستخدمين المساهمين والمؤلفين للنشاط المريب أو تعديلات الاختصار
3. فحص محتوى الصفحة/المنشور للبحث عن اختصارات iwrtooltip مريبة بسمات مشفرة أو غامضة
4. تعطيل مكون iWR Tooltip فوراً إذا لم يكن قيد الاستخدام النشط
إرشادات التصحيح:
1. اتصل بمطور المكون لمعرفة الجدول الزمني لتحديث الأمان
2. إذا لم يتوفر تصحيح، فكر في إزالة المكون بالكامل
3. قيّم مكونات الأدوات البديلة ذات الصيانة الأمنية النشطة
الضوابط التعويضية (إذا كان يجب أن يبقى المكون نشطاً):
1. تقييد أذونات دور المساهم: تعطيل قدرة 'edit_posts' للمستخدمين غير الموثوقين
2. تنفيذ قيود دور مستخدم WordPress باستخدام مكونات الأمان (مثل Members و User Role Editor)
3. تفعيل سجل مراجعة منشورات WordPress ومراقبة التغييرات غير المصرح بها
4. تنفيذ قواعد جدار حماية تطبيقات الويب (WAF) للكشف عن أنماط XSS في سمات الاختصار أو حظرها
5. استخدام رؤوس سياسة أمان المحتوى (CSP) لتقييد تنفيذ البرامج النصية المضمنة
قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة قاعدة بيانات WordPress للبحث عن اختصارات iwrtooltip تحتوي على: علامات البرامج النصية، معالجات الأحداث (onclick و onerror)، أحرف مشفرة
2. تسجيل جميع تعديلات المنشورات/الصفحات من قبل مستخدمي المستوى المساهم
3. تنبيه عند أي تغييرات على المنشورات التي تحتوي على اختصارات iwrtooltip
4. مراقبة سجلات خادم الويب للطلبات التي تحتوي على حمولات XSS في معاملات URL
5. تنفيذ قواعد SIEM: detect_pattern = 'iwrtooltip.*title.*[<>"\']'
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
A.14.2.1 - Secure development policy (input validation and output encoding requirements)
A.14.2.5 - Secure development environment (vulnerability management)
A.12.6.1 - Management of technical vulnerabilities (patch management)
A.12.2.1 - User registration and access management (role-based access control)
🔵 SAMA CSF
ID.GV-1 - Organizational cybersecurity policy and procedures
PR.DS-1 - Data security and protection (input validation)
PR.IP-1 - Security patch and vulnerability management
DE.CM-1 - Detection and monitoring of security events
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.6.1.1 - Information security policies (secure development)
A.8.1.1 - User access management and authentication
A.12.2.1 - Establishment of information and communication technology (ICT) asset management
A.12.6.1 - Management of technical vulnerabilities
A.14.2.1 - Secure development policy
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
Requirement 6.5.1 - Injection flaws prevention
Requirement 6.2 - Security patches and updates
Requirement 7.1 - Limit access to system components by business need-to-know
🔗 References & Sources 3
🔗
🔗
🔗
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/iwr-tooltip/tags/1.0/iwr-tooltip.php#L37
security@wordfence.com
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/iwr-tooltip/tags/1.0/iwr-tooltip.php#L41
security@wordfence.com
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/9dd6433f-cc12-47c7-a641-3da8a...
security@wordfence.com