CVE-2026-8181: Burst Statistics (WordPress plugin) · Improper Authentication
Affects Burst Statistics (WordPress plugin)Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · public detection template (Nuclei) · 14% EPSS · CVSS 9.8 Critical.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC
- EPSS
- 14.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 96% 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:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 May 2026
Detectable: evidence found.
nuclei template: WordPress Burst Statistics 3.4.0-3.4.1.1 - Authentication Bypass
Weaponized: evidence found.
Public exploit code: GitHub proofs of concept
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), GitHub proofs of concept, the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| burstbvBurst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
Until an official fix is released, administrators should consider disabling or removing the affected plugin versions (3.4.0 to 3.4.1.1) to prevent exploitation. Monitoring for updates from the vendor or security community is recommended.
Description
The Burst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in versions 3.4.0 to 3.4.1.1. This is due to incorrect return-value handling in the `is_mainwp_authenticated()` function when validating application passwords from the Authorization header. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers, with knowledge of an administrator username, to impersonate that administrator for the duration of the request by supplying any random Basic Authentication password achieving privilege escalation.
References
- wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/8ca830d6-3d3c-4026-85cd-8447b8a568d3?source=cve (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/burst-statistics/tags/3.4.1.1/includes/Frontend/class-mainwp-proxy.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/burst-statistics/trunk/includes/Frontend/class-mainwp-proxy.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/burst-statistics/trunk/includes/Frontend/class-mainwp-proxy.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/burst-statistics/tags/3.4.1.1/includes/Frontend/class-mainwp-proxy.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/burst-statistics/trunk/includes/Frontend/class-mainwp-proxy.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/burst-statistics/tags/3.4.1.1/includes/Frontend/class-mainwp-proxy.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/burst-statistics/trunk/includes/Traits/trait-admin-helper.php (opens in a new tab)
- plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/burst-statistics/tags/3.4.1.1/includes/Traits/trait-admin-helper.php (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/Burst-Statistics/burst-statistics/blob/2488d3fa54045e7e5342b0445b9f6b5eaac9ea7c/includes/Frontend/class-mainwp-proxy.php (opens in a new tab)