PPWP <= 1.9.26 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via '[ppwp]' Shortcode 'desc_below_form' Attribute via Placeholder Marker Collision
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-116520 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | Wordfence |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-10-31 06:16:32 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-10-31 06:16:32 UTC |
| Description | The PPWP – Password Protect Pages plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'comment / shortcode attribute desc_below_form (and placeholder as the marker-smuggling helper)' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.26 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 is exploitable by unauthenticated attackers because WordPress's comment_content filter leaves bare shortcode text (containing no HTML tags) untouched, and the comment_whitelist setting auto-approves subsequent comments from a previously approved name and email without administrator intervention. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 7.2 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Problem Types: CWE-79 | CWE-79 CWE-79 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Primary | 7.2 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 7.2 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
ChangedConfidentiality
LowIntegrity
LowAvailability
NoneCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Buildwps | PPWP Password Protect Pages | affected 1.9.26 semver | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/password-protect-page/tags/1.9.26/includes/services/c... | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3772960/password-protect-page/trunk/includes/servic... | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/password-protect-page/tags/1.9.26/includes/services/c... | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/password-protect-page/tags/1.9.26/includes/services/c... | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/password-protect-page/tags/1.9.26/includes/views/shor... | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/password-protect-page/tags/1.9.26/includes/services/c... | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/password-protect-page/tags/1.9.26/includes/services/c... | [email protected] | plugins.trac.wordpress.org | |
| www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/c549ba14-276e-46ab-8019-97430... | [email protected] | www.wordfence.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: Sawyer (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-10-26T14:23:28.000Z | Vendor Notified |
| CNA | 2026-10-30T17:25:42.000Z | Disclosed |
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.