CVE-2026-0867 in Essential Widgets Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 02/05/2026
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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2026
The Essential Widgets plugin for WordPress presents a critical stored cross-site scripting vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-0867 that affects all versions up to and including 3.0. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and output escaping mechanisms within the plugin's core functionality, specifically impacting the ew-author, ew-archive, ew-category, ew-page, and ew-menu shortcodes. The flaw allows authenticated attackers possessing contributor-level privileges or higher to execute malicious code through crafted input parameters that are then stored within the WordPress database. The vulnerability represents a significant security risk as it enables attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts that will execute whenever any user accesses pages containing the injected content, creating a persistent threat vector that can compromise user sessions and data integrity.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of shortcode attributes that are processed by the Essential Widgets plugin without proper validation or sanitization. When an attacker with contributor access or higher creates or modifies content using these shortcodes, they can inject malicious JavaScript code into the attributes that are then stored in the WordPress database. This stored data is subsequently rendered on pages accessed by other users, executing the malicious script in their browsers. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a failure to sanitize or escape special characters, and it aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for the initial access phase through malicious content injection. The attack requires minimal privileges and can be executed through legitimate plugin functionality, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses many traditional security controls that might detect external injection attempts.
The operational impact of CVE-2026-0867 extends beyond simple script execution as it creates persistent backdoors within the WordPress environment. Once an attacker successfully injects malicious code, they can establish persistent access to user sessions, potentially harvesting cookies, credentials, or other sensitive information. The vulnerability affects multiple shortcode types, increasing the attack surface and making it more difficult to fully mitigate the issue. Users with any level of access above contributor, including editors, administrators, and super administrators, are at risk when viewing pages containing the malicious content. The stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious scripts remain active until manually removed from the database, creating ongoing security risks that can persist even after the initial attack vector is patched. This vulnerability particularly impacts WordPress sites that rely heavily on user-generated content or collaborative editing environments where multiple contributors have access to the platform.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to version 3.0 or later, which partially addresses the vulnerability, though complete remediation requires additional measures. The recommended approach involves implementing strict input validation for all shortcode attributes, enforcing output escaping on all user-supplied data, and conducting regular security audits of stored content. Security teams should also implement web application firewalls with rules specifically designed to detect and block malicious script injection attempts. Additionally, access controls should be reviewed to ensure that only necessary users have contributor-level privileges or higher, reducing the attack surface. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and output escaping as fundamental security practices, aligning with industry standards such as OWASP Top Ten A03:2021 and NIST SP 800-53 requirements for input validation and output encoding controls. Regular monitoring of plugin updates and implementing automated security scanning tools can help prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.