StatCounter <= 2.1.1 - Authenticated (Author+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Author Nickname
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.1.2
- Affected Plugin
- StatCounter – Free Real Time Visitor Stats
- Affected Version
<= 2.1.1- CVSS
- 6.4Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
- CVE
CVE-2026-6275
At a glance
CVE-2026-6275 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in the StatCounter WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.1.1. It carries a CVSS score of 6.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Author level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.1.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2026, reported by ZAST.AI.
Vulnerability Overview
The StatCounter – Free Real Time Visitor Stats plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting in versions up to, and including, 2.1.1 This is due to insufficient output escaping on the post author's nickname in the statcounter_addToTags() function. The function is hooked to wp_head and fires on every single post page. It retrieves the post author's nickname via the_author_meta() and echoes it directly into a JavaScript double-quoted string context inside a <script> block without applying esc_js() or any equivalent JavaScript-context escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Author-level access and above to inject arbitrary web scripts into pages that will execute whenever any user (including unauthenticated visitors) accesses a post authored by the attacker.
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 interaction from a victim user.
CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
StatCounter <= 2.1.1 carries this weakness at statcounter_addToTags(), and reaching it takes an account at Author level or above. 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 StatCounter the fix is 2.1.2: builds <= 2.1.1 are affected, anything from 2.1.2 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.1.2, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Author access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: StatCounter 2.1.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
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