CVE-2026-119501 in Element Pack Elementor Addons Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 11/07/2026
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in BdThemes Element Pack Elementor Addons bdthemes-element-pack-lite allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Element Pack Elementor Addons: from n/a through 10.0.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2026
The identified security flaw represents a classic instance of Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, commonly known as Cross-site Scripting or XSS. Specifically, this vulnerability is classified under the CWE-79 standard and manifests within the BdThemes Element Pack plugin for WordPress, affecting versions from n/a through 10.0.2. The critical nature of this issue lies in its classification as a Stored XSS attack vector rather than a reflected one. In a stored XSS scenario, malicious scripts are permanently saved on target servers, such as in database entries, comment fields, or user profile data. When other users subsequently view the affected web page, the injected script executes within their browser context without requiring any additional interaction from the attacker beyond the initial injection point. This persistence distinguishes it significantly from reflected XSS attacks and increases its potential for widespread impact across a website's user base.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability allows attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The primary technical flaw involves insufficient validation or sanitization of input data before it is rendered in the HTML output generated by the Elementor addon framework. Because the plugin handles dynamic content creation and widget rendering within the WordPress ecosystem, any user with sufficient privileges to create posts, comments, or custom widgets can potentially introduce malicious JavaScript code. Once stored, this code executes every time a victim loads the compromised page. This execution occurs in the context of the website's domain, granting the attacker access to session cookies, authentication tokens, and other sensitive data that are typically protected by same-origin policies if accessed via script.
The impact of such an exploit is severe for both end-users and site administrators. Attackers can hijack user sessions by stealing cookies or local storage data, effectively impersonating legitimate users including administrative accounts if they visit the compromised page. Beyond session hijacking, this vulnerability enables phishing attacks where attackers can inject fake login forms to harvest credentials directly from unsuspecting visitors. It also allows for defacement of the website content and redirection of traffic to malicious sites hosting malware or ransomware. In enterprise environments, this could lead to broader network compromise if internal tools are accessed through vulnerable interfaces. The persistence of stored XSS makes it particularly dangerous as a single successful injection can affect hundreds or thousands of users over time without further effort from the attacker.
Mitigation strategies must focus on immediate remediation and long-term defensive coding practices. For administrators using BdThemes Element Pack, the most effective solution is to upgrade the plugin to version 10.0.3 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed through improved input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Until an update is available, temporary mitigations include restricting user roles that can create content containing rich text or shortcodes, thereby limiting the attack surface. Implementing a Web Application Firewall with rules specifically tuned to detect and block XSS payloads in POST requests can also provide a layer of defense by intercepting malicious inputs before they are stored in the database.
From a development standpoint, this incident highlights the necessity of adhering strictly to secure coding standards such as OWASP Top Ten guidelines regarding input validation and output encoding. Developers must ensure that all data originating from users is treated as untrusted until proven otherwise. This involves applying context-specific escaping when rendering data into HTML attributes, JavaScript variables, or CSS properties. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can significantly reduce the impact of successful XSS attacks by restricting the sources from which scripts are allowed to load and execute. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be integrated into the development lifecycle to identify such flaws before deployment. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of attack under T1059, specifically Command and Scripting Interpretation via JavaScript, emphasizing the need for robust monitoring and detection capabilities to identify anomalous script execution patterns on web servers.