CVE-2026-18109: W3 Total Cache (WordPress plugin) · Cross-site Scripting
Affects W3 Total Cache (WordPress plugin)Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.2 High.
Data as of 12 Nov 2026, 23:24 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 37% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 13 Nov 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| boldgridW3 Total Cache | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
Until an official fix is released, it is recommended to disable the Lazy Load Images feature in W3 Total Cache to prevent exploitation. Monitor vendor channels for updates and apply official patches once available.
Description
The W3 Total Cache plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Comment Author Name in all versions up to, and including, 2.10.3 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page. This vulnerability is only exploitable when the Lazy Load Images feature of W3 Total Cache is enabled, as the unsafe re-emission occurs exclusively within the LazyLoad mutator's img tag rewriting step.
References
- wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/16ac73ae-6a0a-4c9b-8830-e0745061e587?source=cve (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/w3-total-cache/tags/2.10.2/UserExperience_LazyLoad_Mutator.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/w3-total-cache/tags/2.10.2/UserExperience_LazyLoad_Mutator.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/w3-total-cache/tags/2.10.2/UserExperience_LazyLoad_Plugin.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/w3-total-cache/tags/2.10.2/UserExperience_LazyLoad_Mutator.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&new=3635675%40w3-total-cache%2Ftags%2F2.10.4&old=3625062%40w3-total-cache%2Ftags%2F2.10.3 (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3635675/w3-total-cache/trunk/UserExperience_LazyLoad_Mutator.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?old_path=%2Fw3-total-cache/tags/2.10.3&new_path=%2Fw3-total-cache/tags/2.10.4 (opens in a new tab)