CVE-2026-119489 in WP Recipe Maker Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/07/2026
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Bootstrapped Ventures WP Recipe Maker wp-recipe-maker allows Stored XSS.This issue affects WP Recipe Maker: from n/a through 10.9.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2026
The vulnerability identified as Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, commonly known as Cross-site Scripting or XSS, represents a critical security flaw within the WP Recipe Maker plugin developed by Bootstrapped Ventures. This specific instance is classified as a Stored XSS vulnerability, which distinguishes it from reflected variants by persisting on the target server rather than being transmitted solely through browser requests. The affected software versions span from initial releases up to version 10.9.1, indicating that this security gap has existed within the codebase for an extended period and potentially impacts a significant number of WordPress installations globally. Stored XSS vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, thereby turning the website itself into a vehicle for delivering malware or stealing sensitive information from legitimate visitors.
From a technical perspective, this flaw arises due to insufficient validation and sanitization of user-supplied input before it is processed and stored in the database, and subsequently rendered on dynamic web pages without proper encoding. When an attacker submits malicious content through any input field within the WP Recipe Maker interface that lacks adequate protection mechanisms, the system accepts and stores this data as if it were legitimate text or metadata. Later, when a user accesses a page containing this stored payload, the browser interprets the injected script code as executable JavaScript rather than plain text. This execution occurs in the context of the victim's session with the WordPress site, granting the attacker the ability to run arbitrary commands within that security boundary. The root cause lies in the failure to properly neutralize special characters such as angle brackets, quotes, and ampersands, which are essential for distinguishing between code and data during web page generation processes governed by standard HTML parsing rules.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its persistent nature. Unlike reflected XSS where the payload must be manually triggered via a link sent to a victim, stored XSS automatically executes when any user views the compromised content. This can lead to session hijacking, where attackers steal authentication cookies and take over administrator or editor accounts on the WordPress site. It also facilitates phishing attacks by allowing the injection of fake login forms that capture credentials from unsuspecting users. Furthermore, an attacker could deface the website's appearance, redirect traffic to malicious domains, or install keyloggers to monitor user activity. For e-commerce sites using recipe plugins for product listings or blogs with high traffic, this can result in significant reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and potential compliance violations related to data protection regulations such as GDPR or CCPA due to the unauthorized access and exfiltration of personal data.
In terms of industry classification standards, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'). Specifically, it falls under subcategories related to stored XSS where input is not validated before storage or output encoding is missing during rendering. From a tactical perspective within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability supports techniques such as T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter for executing malicious scripts in the victim's browser context, and potentially T1213: Data from Information Repositories if used to exfiltrate stored data or credentials. The persistence of the payload means it can be leveraged repeatedly without further interaction from the attacker, making it a high-impact entry point for deeper network compromise once initial access is gained through this vector.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate remediation and long-term defensive coding practices. Administrators should immediately update WP Recipe Maker to version 10.9.2 or any later release that includes patches addressing these input validation flaws. Until an official patch is available, administrators can implement temporary workarounds such as disabling the specific features within the plugin that accept user-generated content if they are not essential for current operations. Additionally, deploying a Web Application Firewall with rulesets tuned to detect and block common XSS payloads in HTTP requests can provide a layer of defense against exploitation attempts. From a development standpoint, enforcing strict input validation on all data entering the system and applying context-sensitive output encoding when rendering data back to the browser are critical steps to prevent similar vulnerabilities. Regular security audits and code reviews focusing on sanitization logic will help ensure that future updates do not reintroduce these weaknesses into the application lifecycle.