CVE-2026-0561: Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users, and Prevents Security Breaches (WordPress plugin) · Cross-site Scripting
Affects Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users, and Prevents Security Breaches (WordPress plugin)Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · public detection template (Nuclei) · CVSS 6.1 Medium.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 50% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 19 Feb 2026
Detectable: evidence found.
nuclei template: Shield Security <= 21.0.8 - Unauthenticated Reflected XSS
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| paultgoodchildShield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users, and Prevents Security Breaches | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
Until an official fix is available, users should exercise caution with untrusted links and consider disabling or restricting the use of the 'message' parameter if possible. Monitor the vendor's communications for updates regarding patches or official mitigations.
Description
The Shield Security plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the 'message' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 21.0.8 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that execute if they can successfully trick a user into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
References
- wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/cb49eb5f-c1ff-4440-8b53-c2515e65da27?source=cve (opens in a new tab)
- research.cleantalk.org/cve-2026-0561 (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=3439494%40wp-simple-firewall&new=3439494%40wp-simple-firewall&sfp_email=&sfph_mail= (opens in a new tab)