WP Blockade <= 0.9.14 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary Shortcode Execution via 'shortcode' Parameter
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Unpatched
- Affected Plugin
- WP Blockade – Visual Page Builder
- Affected Version
<= 0.9.14- CVSS
- 6.5Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
- CVE
CVE-2026-3480
At a glance
CVE-2026-3480 is a medium-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the WP Blockade WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 0.9.14. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. No fixed release has been reported yet; treat installations running this software as exposed. Disclosed April 2026, reported by theviper17y.
Vulnerability Overview
The WP Blockade plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Missing Authorization in all versions up to and including 0.9.14. The plugin registers an admin_post action hook 'wp-blockade-shortcode-render' that maps to the render_shortcode_preview() function. This function lacks any capability check (current_user_can()) and nonce verification, allowing any authenticated user to execute arbitrary WordPress shortcodes. The function takes a user-supplied 'shortcode' parameter from $_GET, passes it through stripslashes(), and directly executes it via do_shortcode(). This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to execute arbitrary shortcodes, which could lead to information disclosure, privilege escalation, or other impacts depending on what shortcodes are registered on the site (e.g., shortcodes from other plugins that display sensitive data, perform actions, or include files).
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality.
CWE-862: Missing Authorization
WP Blockade <= 0.9.14 carries this weakness at wp-blockade-shortcode-render, and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber level or above. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.
Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. No fixed build of this plugin is recorded for WP Blockade yet, so installs running <= 0.9.14 stay exposed until the vendor ships one.
Remediation
No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
How does WordSec protect against this?
Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. No patched version is recorded yet, which is the case where a filtering layer matters most, because there is nothing to update to.
- Login Security
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in WP Blockade – Visual Page Builder
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