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CVE Record

CVE-2023-26539: WordPress Advanced Text Widget Plugin <= 2.1.2 is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS)

Auth. (admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Max Chirkov Advanced Text Widget plugin <= 2.1.2 versions.

MediumCVSS 5.9Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

A WordPress plugin used for text widgets can store unsafe script content when operated by an administrator-level user. The business risk is mainly compromised admin trust, visitor exposure, and site integrity if a privileged account is abused. The source bundle does not show active exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat as a moderate WordPress hygiene issue. Prioritize externally facing business sites and sites with many administrators, but do not treat it as emergency exploitation without new evidence.

Technical view

CVE-2023-26539 is an authenticated stored XSS issue in Max Chirkov Advanced Text Widget for WordPress, reported for versions <= 2.1.2. CVSS 3.1 is 5.9 with network access, low complexity, high privileges, required user interaction, changed scope, and low confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running Advanced Text Widget at version 2.1.2 or earlier. The bundle does not provide broader affected version ranges or CPEs.

Exploitation context

The CVE requires admin-level privileges and user interaction. No CISA KEV listing or source-bundle evidence indicates active exploitation. Stored XSS can matter if a trusted admin account is compromised or misused.

Researcher notes

The public bundle identifies CWE-79 and an authenticated admin+ stored XSS condition. It does not include exploit details, a fixed version, or a named vendor mitigation, so validation should stay focused on plugin presence, version, privileges, and authoritative guidance.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory WordPress sites for the Advanced Text Widget plugin.
  • Confirm whether any installed version is 2.1.2 or earlier.
  • Check vendor, WordPress, or Patchstack guidance for confirmed update or replacement advice.
  • Restrict administrator and widget-editing access to trusted accounts.
  • Disable or remove the plugin where it is not business-critical.

Validation and detection

  • Verify the plugin package name is advanced-text-widget.
  • Record installed plugin versions from each WordPress site inventory.
  • Review administrator accounts and recent privilege changes.
  • Check widget content and audit logs for unexpected modifications.
  • Document whether remediation guidance exists from vendor or trusted advisories.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cwe · medium confidence lookup

CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup

Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

Open ATT&CK lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2023-26539 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.9 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
5.9CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L1.73.7Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.9Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2023-26539Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
Max ChirkovAdvanced Text Widgetadvanced-text-widget, n/aunaffected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-79

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.