CVE-2026-116520 — HIGH (7.2)

Vulnerability Description

The PPWP – Password Protect Pages plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'comment / shortcode attribute desc_below_form (and placeholder as the marker-smuggling helper)' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.26 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page. This is exploitable by unauthenticated attackers because WordPress's comment_content filter leaves bare shortcode text (containing no HTML tags) untouched, and the comment_whitelist setting auto-approves subsequent comments from a previously approved name and email without administrator intervention.

CVSS Score

7.2

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Attack Vector

NETWORK

Attack Complexity

LOW

Privileges Required

NONE

User Interaction

NONE

Scope

CHANGED

Confidentiality

LOW

Integrity

LOW

Availability

NONE

Related Weaknesses (CWE)

CWE-79

References

FAQ

What is CVE-2026-116520?

CVE-2026-116520 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.2 (HIGH). The PPWP – Password Protect Pages plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'comment / shortcode attribute desc_below_form (and placeholder as the marker-smuggling help...

How severe is CVE-2026-116520?

CVE-2026-116520 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.2/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.

Is there a patch for CVE-2026-116520?

Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Review vendor security bulletins for remediation guidance.