---
id: "CVE-2026-120477"
page: "https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-120477"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-120477"]
title: "Stop Spammers Classic WordPress plugin: stored XSS via author field"
severity: "medium"
cvss: 4.7
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["package", "self-hosted", "wordpress", "wordpress-plugin"]
not_affected_if: ["api-key-not-configured", "plugin-newer-than-2026.6", "plugin-not-installed"]
published_at: "2026-11-07T05:18:11+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-11-07T05:45:57+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-11-07T05:54:23+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-120477", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-07T05:45:57+00:00"}]
exploit_sources: []
---

# Stop Spammers Classic WordPress plugin: stored XSS via author field

Link for people: https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-120477 (this .md is for agents)

The Stop Spammers Classic WordPress plugin up to version 2026.6 stores an unauthenticated 'author' value in its log and later renders it unsafely in the admin Log Report page. An attacker can inject JavaScript that runs in an administrator's browser when they click the 'Report to SFS' link on a poisoned log row.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- Check the installed Stop Spammers Classic plugin version in the WordPress admin Plugins screen; versions `2026.6` and earlier are affected.
- Check whether the StopForumSpam API key is set in the plugin settings; the 'Report to SFS' link only renders when it is configured.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-07T05:45:57+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-120477

## From the sources

The Stop Spammers Classic plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'author' POST parameter in versions up to, and including, 2026.6. An unauthenticated POST handled on init stores the attacker-supplied author field (after sanitize_text_field, which does not escape single quotes) into the ss_stop_sp_reg_stats option history. The Log Report admin page then renders that stored value inside a single-quoted JavaScript string within a double-quoted onclick attribute using esc_js(); because esc_js() uses _wp_specialchars with ENT_COMPAT it does not escape single quotes, allowing the stored value to break out of the JS string literal and inject arbitrary JavaScript. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that execute whenever an administrator with manage_options access clicks the 'Report to SFS' link on an attacker-poisoned log row (the StopForumSpam API key must be configured for that link to be rendered — the field is empty by default). Successful exploitation additionally requires an action by an administrator — the attacker cannot trigger the vulnerability on their own.

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