CVE-2026-0867: CWE-79 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') in catchthemes Essential Widgets
The Essential Widgets plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's ew-author, ew-archive, ew-category, ew-page, and ew-menu shortcodes in all versions up to, and including, 3.0 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. 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. NOTE: This vulnerability was partially fixed in version 3.0.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-0867 is a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in the catchthemes Essential Widgets WordPress plugin. It affects all versions up to and including 3.0 due to improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79). Authenticated users with contributor-level privileges or higher can exploit this by injecting arbitrary web scripts via specific shortcodes (ew-author, ew-archive, ew-category, ew-page, ew-menu). These scripts execute in the context of users visiting the injected pages. The vulnerability was partially addressed in version 3.0, but no definitive patch or full remediation is documented.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows authenticated contributors or higher to inject persistent malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of users viewing the affected pages. This can lead to information disclosure or user session compromise. The CVSS score of 6.4 (medium severity) reflects the network attack vector, low attack complexity, and requirement for privileges but no user interaction. There is no indication of known exploits in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. The vulnerability was partially fixed in version 3.0, so upgrading to the latest plugin version is recommended if available. Until a full fix is confirmed, restrict contributor-level access to trusted users only and consider disabling or limiting use of the affected shortcodes to reduce risk.
CVE-2026-0867: CWE-79 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') in catchthemes Essential Widgets
Description
The Essential Widgets plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's ew-author, ew-archive, ew-category, ew-page, and ew-menu shortcodes in all versions up to, and including, 3.0 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user supplied attributes. 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. NOTE: This vulnerability was partially fixed in version 3.0.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-0867 is a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in the catchthemes Essential Widgets WordPress plugin. It affects all versions up to and including 3.0 due to improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79). Authenticated users with contributor-level privileges or higher can exploit this by injecting arbitrary web scripts via specific shortcodes (ew-author, ew-archive, ew-category, ew-page, ew-menu). These scripts execute in the context of users visiting the injected pages. The vulnerability was partially addressed in version 3.0, but no definitive patch or full remediation is documented.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows authenticated contributors or higher to inject persistent malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of users viewing the affected pages. This can lead to information disclosure or user session compromise. The CVSS score of 6.4 (medium severity) reflects the network attack vector, low attack complexity, and requirement for privileges but no user interaction. There is no indication of known exploits in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. The vulnerability was partially fixed in version 3.0, so upgrading to the latest plugin version is recommended if available. Until a full fix is confirmed, restrict contributor-level access to trusted users only and consider disabling or limiting use of the affected shortcodes to reduce risk.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- Wordfence
- Date Reserved
- 2026-01-12T22:04:51.082Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 69843ff8f9fa50a62f08b1e7
Added to database: 2/5/2026, 7:00:08 AM
Last enriched: 4/9/2026, 9:54:25 PM
Last updated: 5/5/2026, 1:08:25 PM
Views: 102
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