CleanTalk comment processing permits unauthenticated stored XSS

CleanTalk through 6.86 can place malicious comment content into an aria-label placeholder without sufficient output escaping. A logged-out visitor can submit the payload; after moderation where required, it executes for non-logged-in visitors who open the affected page.

CVE / CNA score 7.2 CVSS 3.1 · security@wordfence.com

NVD score Pending NVD has not published its own CVSS assessment.

Component: Spam protection, Honeypot, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk
Plugin slug: cleantalk-spam-protect
Affected: <= 6.86
Safe version: See mitigation notes
Published: Sep 05, 2026
Weakness: CWE-79 — Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

This CVE was published Sep 05, 2026 and is one of 9 known issues for this plugin.

What to do

Update, patch or deactivate.

Version 6.87 is available and may resolve the issue, but its official changelog does not confirm this CVE. Update conservatively and inspect or remove untrusted comments before exposing affected pages to visitors.

No confirmed safe version is listed. Consider a vendor-supported patch or temporarily restricting the affected functionality while you assess the risk.

Deactivate only when warranted by your risk profile, or when advised by your hosting provider in the limited circumstances where the vulnerability cannot otherwise be mitigated. If you’re unsure which action is appropriate, contact Fused or your hosting provider for guidance.

Source record

Technical description

The Spam protection, Honeypot, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Comment Content aria-label Placeholder in all versions up to, and including, 6.86 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with custom-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page. The payload is deliverable via unauthenticated comment submission and executes exclusively for non-logged-in visitors; if comment moderation is enabled, an approving moderator must first publish the comment before the script reaches other users.

CVE / CNA vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

References

Primary and upstream sources

Data attribution: This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

Vulnerability data licensing

CVE. Copyright © 1999–2026, The MITRE Corporation. MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE™). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

CWE. Copyright © 2006–2026, The MITRE Corporation. CWE™ is free to use by any organization or individual for any research, development, and/or commercial purposes, per these CWE Terms of Use. Accordingly, The MITRE Corporation hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use CWE for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized on the condition that you reproduce MITRE’s copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

CVSS. CVSS is owned and managed by FIRST.Org, Inc. (FIRST) and used by permission.

Source-record text is CVE/CNA content delivered through the NVD API. Fused summaries and remediation guidance are independently authored and are not attributed to NVD.

All other copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Full data sources, terms, and disclaimers