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Twenty20 XSS Patch

Security Patch to enforce the Twenty20 Image Before-After plugin to solve an XSS vulnerability

by Fernando Tellado · github.com/fernandotellado/twenty20-image-before-after-xss-security-patch · website

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Install

No release zip yet. The repository archive installs, but the folder name will carry the branch suffix and updates will not flow:

wp plugin install https://github.com/fernandotellado/twenty20-image-before-after-xss-security-patch/archive/refs/heads/main.zip

Readme

Twenty20 XSS Temporary Security Patch

A lightweight WordPress plugin that mitigates the Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability found in the Twenty20 Image Before-After plugin (reported on WPScan: e54804c7-68a9-4c4c-94f9-1c3c9b97e8ca).

Summary

The vulnerability allows an attacker with access to post content (e.g., an author or contributor) to inject malicious JavaScript code through the [twenty20] shortcode attributes.
Because these attributes were not properly sanitized or escaped, any JavaScript injected into parameters like before, after, img1, or img2 could be stored and executed in the browser of any visitor viewing the affected post.

This patch plugin sanitizes all shortcode attributes before they are passed to the original Twenty20 output function.

How it works

  • Hooks into the do_shortcode_tag process for the [twenty20] shortcode.
  • Validates and sanitizes all attributes:
    • img1 and img2: only numeric IDs or valid URLs are allowed.
    • offset: converted to a float (0–1 range).
    • orientation: only 'horizontal' or 'vertical' values accepted.
    • before_label, after_label, and other text values are escaped with sanitize_text_field().
  • Passes the cleaned attributes to the original Twenty20 function, preserving full functionality.

This means you can continue using the shortcode as normal while preventing any stored JavaScript injection attempts.

Example

Safe shortcode usage:

[twenty20 img1="123" img2="456" before="Before" after="After" offset="0.5"]

Any injected code, such as:

[twenty20 img1="javascript:alert(1)" img2="..." before="<script>alert(1)</script>"]

will be sanitized and rendered harmless.

Compatibility

  • Tested with Twenty20 version 2.0.4
  • Compatible with WordPress 6.x+
  • Requires PHP 7.4 or higher

Notes

This is a temporary patch intended to protect your site until the official Twenty20 plugin is updated.
Once the official plugin includes a security fix, deactivate and delete this patch.

Author: Fernando Tellado
Website: https://servicios.ayudawp.com
License: GPL-3.0-or-later

Read the full README on GitHub →