CVE-2026-96829 in The Plus Addons for Elementor Page Builder Lite Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
Contributor Cross Site Scripting (XSS) in The Plus Addons for Elementor Page Builder Lite <= 6.5.1 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The vulnerability identified as Contributor Cross-Site Scripting within the Plus Addons for Elementor Page Builder plugin, specifically affecting versions up to and including 6.5.1, represents a significant security risk targeting users with contributor-level access or lower on WordPress installations utilizing this specific page builder extension. This flaw stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms when handling user-supplied data within the administrative interface of the Elementor ecosystem. The vulnerability allows an attacker who has been granted at least Contributor privileges to inject malicious JavaScript code into web pages viewed by other users, typically administrators or editors with higher privilege levels. Because WordPress contributor accounts are often assigned to content creators and trusted team members rather than external attackers, this elevation-of-privilege vector is particularly dangerous as it bypasses the need for complex authentication exploits or zero-day vulnerabilities in core software components.
From a technical perspective, the root cause of this vulnerability lies in how the plugin processes data submitted through forms or API endpoints associated with its addon features without properly sanitizing special characters such as angle brackets and quotation marks before rendering them in HTML contexts. When an authenticated user submits content containing script tags or event handlers like onerror or onload, the application fails to encode these outputs adequately for safe display within the browser environment of other users accessing the same page builder interface. This lack of proper context-aware encoding allows the injected scripts to execute in the victim's browser session with the privileges associated with that user account. The attack vector is classified as stored cross-site scripting because the malicious payload is persisted on the target server, often within post metadata or addon configuration settings, and subsequently served to victims upon page load rather than being delivered via a one-time link which would characterize reflected XSS.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple defacement or minor annoyance, posing severe risks to data integrity and confidentiality within WordPress environments. An attacker leveraging this flaw can perform session hijacking by stealing administrator cookies through document.cookie access, potentially leading to full administrative takeover of the website if combined with other techniques such as cross-site request forgery attacks against admin endpoints. Furthermore, the injected scripts can be used to phish sensitive information from administrators, redirect users to malicious domains for malware distribution, or manipulate page content dynamically to deceive visitors and search engines alike. In enterprise environments where multiple contributors work on a single site, this vulnerability undermines trust among team members and exposes critical business data stored within WordPress databases to unauthorized access through the compromised administrative session.
This issue aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-79, which describes Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation commonly known as Cross-site Scripting. Additionally, from a tactical perspective related to cyber kill chains and adversary behavior modeling, this vulnerability maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059.007, specifically JavaScript Execution within the Browser Environment category under Command and Control or Collection sub-techniques depending on payload intent. The exploitation path typically involves Initial Access through valid credentials obtained via phishing or credential stuffing followed by Privilege Escalation if the attacker starts with a low-level account like Contributor but aims to reach Administrator status through session manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action from site administrators and plugin developers alike. For end-users, the most effective remediation is upgrading the Plus Addons for Elementor Page Builder Lite plugin to version 6.5.2 or later where these input validation flaws have been addressed by implementing strict output encoding using functions such as esc_html or wp_kses_post in PHP code responsible for rendering user inputs. Until an update is applied, administrators should consider restricting contributor-level access to only trusted individuals and enabling two-factor authentication on all administrative accounts to mitigate the impact of potential session hijacking attacks derived from successful XSS exploitation. Additionally, deploying a Web Application Firewall with robust cross-site scripting detection rules can provide an additional layer of defense by blocking malicious payloads before they reach vulnerable endpoints or are rendered in browsers. Developers must also adopt secure coding practices that prioritize input sanitization at ingestion and output encoding at rendering to prevent similar vulnerabilities across the broader WordPress plugin ecosystem.