Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-1866 affects the WordPress Name Directory plugin up to 1.32.0. An outside visitor can submit content that may become stored script on the site. It executes when someone views the affected directory page, especially if submissions are auto-published or an administrator approves the malicious entry.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for public-facing WordPress sites using this plugin. Treat as high urgency where submissions are public or auto-approved. Sites without the plugin are not exposed based on the provided sources.
Technical view
The flaw is stored cross-site scripting in Name Directory submission fields. The plugin decodes HTML entities before wp_kses() and decodes again on output, allowing double-encoded script content to survive sanitization. Reported parameters are name_directory_name and name_directory_description. CVSS is 7.2, network exploitable, unauthenticated, with changed scope.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running Name Directory versions up to and including 1.32.0, especially where public submissions are enabled. Risk increases if auto-publish is enabled or administrators routinely approve submitted directory entries.
Exploitation context
Sources do not indicate active exploitation, and the CVE is not in KEV. Exploitation depends on getting a malicious submission displayed: either auto-publication or administrator approval. The business impact is site-user compromise, admin-session risk, and reputational damage from script execution on trusted pages.
Researcher notes
The CVE description and Wordfence identify affected versions through 1.32.0. Public code references show the sanitization and output paths, and a WordPress Trac changeset appears related. The structured affected metadata is sparse, so validate fixed-version status from the plugin repository.
Mitigation direction
- Identify WordPress sites using the Name Directory plugin.
- Update Name Directory beyond 1.32.0 if a fixed release is available.
- If no fixed release is available, follow vendor guidance.
- Disable public submissions or auto-publish until remediated.
- Review and moderate pending and approved directory submissions.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Name Directory version on each WordPress site.
- Check whether public submission forms are enabled.
- Check whether submitted entries are auto-published.
- Review approved submissions for unexpected encoded HTML or script-like content.
- Verify remediation against the WordPress plugin changelog or referenced changeset.
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-2026-1866 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N3.92.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.2HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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/29d13457-ac60-4e3d-9d8b-0141e6f8f4f6?source=cveCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/name-directory/tags/1.31.0/helpers.php#L604CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/name-directory/tags/1.31.0/shortcode.php#L193CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3455023/name-directory/trunk?contextall=1&old=3446566&old_path=%2Fname-directory%2Ftrunk#file3CVE 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.