Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-2496 affects the Ed's Font Awesome WordPress plugin through version 2.0. A logged-in user with Contributor-level access or higher can embed malicious script through shortcode attributes. The script is stored in site content and runs when someone views the affected page, potentially impacting administrators or visitors.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted website integrity and account-trust risk. Prioritize sites with many content contributors, external authors, or weak account controls. If the plugin is unused or no fixed release is available, removal is a practical risk-reduction step.
Technical view
The vulnerability is stored cross-site scripting in the `eds_font_awesome` shortcode. Sources attribute it to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping of user-supplied shortcode attributes. CVSS 3.1 is 6.4, with low privileges required, network attack vector, and changed scope. CWE-79 applies.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites using Ed's Font Awesome version 2.0 or earlier, especially where Contributor or higher accounts are broadly assigned, shared, or compromised. Public visitors may trigger stored payloads by viewing affected content, but injection requires authenticated content-creation privileges.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. This is not a remote unauthenticated issue; it depends on a logged-in Contributor-level or higher account placing malicious shortcode attributes into stored content.
Researcher notes
Primary evidence comes from the CVE description, Wordfence advisory, and WordPress plugin source references around shortcode handling. The bundle does not identify a patched version or active exploitation. Avoid assuming broader WordPress impact beyond Ed's Font Awesome through version 2.0.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for Ed's Font Awesome version 2.0 or earlier.
- Check the plugin page and vendor guidance for an updated fixed release.
- Disable or remove the plugin if no trusted fix is available.
- Restrict Contributor-level and higher access to trusted users only.
- Review existing content using the `eds_font_awesome` shortcode for suspicious attributes.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Ed's Font Awesome is installed and record its version.
- Identify users with Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator roles.
- Search site content for `eds_font_awesome` shortcode usage.
- Review recent posts, pages, and revisions from lower-privileged users.
- Test remediation by confirming unsafe shortcode attributes no longer render as script.
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-2026-2496 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/435e8ca8-cf00-4de9-a454-8cb09b7661ef?source=cveCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/eds-font-awesome/trunk/eds_font_awesome.php#L103CVE reference
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/eds-font-awesome/CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/eds-font-awesome/tags/2.0/eds_font_awesome.php#L103CVE 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.