WordPress Core 7.1 - 7.1.2 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Pending Comments

2026-10-06 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 7.1.3
Affected Core: WordPress 7.1
Affected Version: 7.1.0 – 7.1.2
CVSS: 7.2High
Weakness type: CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
CVE: CVE pending

At a glance

This record tracks a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in the WordPress 7.1 WordPress release line, affecting 7.1.0 – 7.1.2. It carries a CVSS score of 7.2 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 7.1.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2026, reported by Thomas Chauchefoin.

Vulnerability Overview

WordPress Core is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via pending comments in versions 7.1 through 7.1.2 due to unsafe jQuery handling of attacker-controlled contextual-help tab links. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts into the Comments administration page that execute when a logged-in user with access to that page clicks the injected link. Approval of the comment is not required.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user.

CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

Reaching this weakness in WordPress 7.1 7.1.0 – 7.1.2 takes no account at all. Cross-site scripting happens when input from a request is written into a page without being escaped for the context it lands in, so the browser parses attacker-supplied text as markup or script.

Injected script runs with the privileges of whoever views the affected page, which is how these flaws turn into administrator session theft, silent account creation or persistent backdoors in page content. For WordPress 7.1 the fix is 7.1.3: builds 7.1.0 – 7.1.2 are affected, anything from 7.1.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 7.1.3, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: updating to 7.1.3 is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/4a3e3e6e-9c17-4ac5-9f83-1e01365436e9

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in WordPress 7.1

CVSS Vector

7.2

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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