CVE-2026-6176 in Customer Reviews for WooCommerce Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/28/2026
The Customer Reviews for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the aggregated review form submission in versions up to and including 5.106.0. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied review comment text. The plugin accepts review submissions from unauthenticated users through the 'cr_local_forms_submit' AJAX action without sanitizing HTML content before storing it via wp_insert_comment(), and later renders this stored content on product pages through comment_text() without proper escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers with a valid review form URL (obtainable through review reminder emails sent to customers who placed orders) to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses the affected product page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2026
The Customer Reviews plugin for WooCommerce, specifically versions up to and including 5.106.0, contains a critical Stored Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability rooted in inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into the application's database by submitting crafted review comments through the aggregated review form. The security failure occurs because the plugin processes submissions via the 'cr_local_forms_submit' AJAX action without applying necessary sanitization filters to HTML content before it is persisted using WordPress functions such as wp_insert_comment(). Consequently, when this stored data is later retrieved and displayed on product pages via the comment_text() function, it is rendered directly into the browser context without adequate escaping. This sequence of events creates a persistent attack vector where malicious scripts are embedded within legitimate-looking review content, ensuring that any user viewing the affected product page will inadvertently execute the injected code in their own session environment.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to both site administrators and end-users who interact with the e-commerce platform. An attacker can exploit this flaw by obtaining a valid URL for the review form, which is often distributed through automated reminder emails sent to customers after they have placed orders. Once in possession of such a link, an unauthenticated adversary can craft a malicious payload designed to steal session cookies, hijack user sessions, perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, or redirect victims to phishing sites. The persistent nature of stored XSS means that the impact is not limited to a single interaction but continues to affect every visitor who loads the compromised product page until the malicious content is manually removed from the database. This can lead to severe data breaches, loss of customer trust, and potential compliance violations regarding user privacy and security standards.
The technical classification of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which describes Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation commonly known as Cross-site Scripting. Specifically, it represents a stored variant where the malicious payload is saved on the target server rather than being reflected in an immediate response. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this exploit maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which covers JavaScript execution within web browsers. The attack chain involves initial access through social engineering or automated discovery of review forms, followed by persistence via database injection and privilege escalation if the victim is an administrator with elevated capabilities. Understanding these mappings helps security teams prioritize remediation efforts based on established industry standards for vulnerability management and risk assessment.
To mitigate this vulnerability, immediate action must be taken to update the Customer Reviews plugin to a version that addresses these sanitization gaps or remove it entirely if no patch is available from the vendor. Developers should implement strict input validation by whitelisting allowed HTML tags and attributes using functions like wp_kses_post() before storing any user-supplied content in the database. Furthermore, output escaping must be enforced when rendering data to ensure that special characters are converted into their corresponding HTML entities, preventing them from being interpreted as executable code by the browser. Regular security audits of third-party WordPress plugins are essential to identify similar flaws involving insufficient sanitization and improper handling of user input across various endpoints within the application ecosystem.