Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A WordPress plugin, Related Posts by Taxonomy, has a stored cross-site scripting issue through its shortcode. A logged-in user with Contributor rights or higher could place script into content, which may run when someone views that page. This is not listed as actively exploited in the provided sources.
Executive priority
Treat as a timely website hygiene fix, especially on sites with multiple content contributors. It is moderate severity, not currently sourced as exploited, but stored XSS can affect visitors and administrators who view poisoned content.
Technical view
CVE-2026-0916 is CWE-79 stored XSS in Related Posts by Taxonomy versions up to and including 2.7.6. The issue is insufficient sanitization and output escaping of user-supplied attributes in the related_posts_by_tax shortcode. CVSS is 6.4, requiring low-privileged authenticated access, with potential confidentiality and integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running Related Posts by Taxonomy version 2.7.6 or earlier where untrusted or semi-trusted users have Contributor-level access or higher.
Exploitation context
The attacker must be authenticated with Contributor privileges or above. Successful abuse stores script in content using the plugin shortcode, and the script executes when a user visits the affected page. The source bundle does not show KEV listing or active exploitation evidence.
Researcher notes
The key condition is authenticated Contributor-plus access. The public references point to the vulnerable 2.7.6 function code and a 2.7.7 code reference, supporting a version-diff review. Do not assume unauthenticated exploitability from the provided evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Update Related Posts by Taxonomy to version 2.7.7 or later if available.
- Review vendor and Wordfence guidance for any additional remediation details.
- Restrict Contributor or higher access to trusted users until updated.
- Review existing posts using the related_posts_by_tax shortcode for suspicious attributes.
Validation and detection
- Inventory WordPress sites using the Related Posts by Taxonomy plugin.
- Confirm installed plugin versions and flag 2.7.6 or earlier.
- Identify users with Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator roles.
- Review content containing the related_posts_by_tax shortcode for unexpected script-like input.
- After updating, confirm the plugin reports version 2.7.7 or later.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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-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 lookupCVE-2026-0916 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
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.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe 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.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N3.12.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/0582fe7d-884c-4019-837a-861d36ccc842?source=cveCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/related-posts-by-taxonomy/tags/2.7.6/includes/functions.php#L259CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/related-posts-by-taxonomy/tags/2.7.7/includes/functions.php#L259CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.