CVE-2026-26370 is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the WordPress plugin 'Survey Maker' by Ays Pro, affecting versions 5.1.7.7 and prior. XSS vulnerabilities occur when an application allows untrusted input to be included in web pages without proper sanitization, enabling attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of users who view the compromised content. In this case, the vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the affected website, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability requires no privileges (PR:N), has low attack complexity (AC:L), but does require user interaction (UI:R), such as clicking a malicious link or interacting with a crafted survey. The scope is changed (S:C), meaning the vulnerability affects components beyond the initially vulnerable component, possibly impacting the entire site or user session. The CVSS 3.0 base score of 6.1 reflects a medium severity, with limited confidentiality and integrity impact and no availability impact. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the presence of this vulnerability in a popular WordPress plugin makes it a potential target for attackers. The lack of a patch link indicates that a fix may not yet be available, emphasizing the need for interim mitigations. The vulnerability is particularly relevant for websites using the Survey Maker plugin to collect user input, as malicious payloads could be injected into surveys or forms.

The exploitation of this XSS vulnerability can lead to unauthorized script execution in users' browsers, which may result in session hijacking, theft of sensitive information such as cookies or credentials, defacement of the website, or redirection to malicious sites. For organizations, this can damage reputation, lead to data breaches, and undermine user trust. Since the vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin, the impact is primarily on websites using this plugin, which could include businesses, educational institutions, and other organizations relying on Survey Maker for user engagement. The medium severity score reflects that while the vulnerability is exploitable remotely without authentication, it requires user interaction and does not directly compromise server availability or critical backend systems. However, successful exploitation could facilitate further attacks or phishing campaigns. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests limited current exploitation but does not preclude future attacks once exploit code becomes available.

Organizations should monitor the vendor's communications for an official patch and apply it promptly once released. Until a patch is available, administrators can mitigate risk by disabling or removing the vulnerable Survey Maker plugin if feasible. Implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block common XSS attack patterns can reduce exposure. Input validation and output encoding should be enforced on all user-supplied data within the plugin's context, if customization is possible. Educating users to avoid clicking suspicious links or interacting with untrusted surveys can reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation. Regular security audits and vulnerability scanning of WordPress plugins should be part of the security posture to detect similar issues proactively. Additionally, restricting plugin installation and updates to trusted administrators minimizes the risk of introducing vulnerable components.