CVE-2026-3475 | Instant Popup Builder <= 1.1.7 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary Shortcode Execution via 'token' Parameter

The Instant Popup Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Unauthenticated Arbitrary Shortcode Execution in all versions up to and including 1.1.7. This is due to the handle_email_verification_page() function constructing a shortcode string from user-supplied GET parameters (token, email) and passing it to do_shortcode() without properly sanitizing square bracket characters, combined with missing authorization checks on the init hook. While sanitize_text_field() and esc_attr() are applied, neither function strips or escapes square bracket characters ([ and ]). WordPress's shortcode regex uses [^\]\/]* to match content inside shortcode tags, meaning a ] character in the token value prematurely closes the shortcode tag. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject and execute arbitrary registered shortcodes by crafting a malicious token parameter containing ] followed by arbitrary shortcode syntax.

Published: 2026-03-19 Last update: 2026-04-22 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-3475 is rated Low Risk (27.6/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.06%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-3475

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-03-25 0.04% 0.06% +0.01%
2 2026-03-19 0.04%

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-3475

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.3 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
3.9 1.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-3475

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-3475

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
No affected products in dataset.

References for CVE-2026-3475

URL Tags
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instant-popup-builder/tags/1.1.6/public/class-instant-popup-subscription-public.php#L1761
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instant-popup-builder/tags/1.1.6/public/class-instant-popup-subscription-public.php#L1772
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instant-popup-builder/trunk/public/class-instant-popup-subscription-public.php#L1761
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/instant-popup-builder/trunk/public/class-instant-popup-subscription-public.php#L1772
https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=3477334%40instant-popup-builder&new=3477334%40instant-popup-builder&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/979962e3-9052-4dc9-94d0-3ec8de3d5460?source=cve
cvelogic Threat Intelligence