WordPress security changelog
MEDIUM CVE-2026-85117 Deferred

Contact Form 7 Captcha executes shortcodes supplied in form values

Contact Form 7 Captcha versions 0.1.7 to before 0.1.9 run the shortcode parser over the complete rendered form, including visitor-submitted field values. Unauthenticated users can execute any shortcode registered on the site; the practical effects depend on the available shortcode handlers.

CVE / CNA score 6.5 CVSS 3.1 · contact@wpscan.com
NVD score Pending NVD has not published its own CVSS assessment.
Component
Contact Form 7 Captcha
Plugin slug
contact-form-7-captcha
Affected
0.1.7 to < 0.1.9
Safe version
0.1.9
Published
Sep 09, 2026
Weakness
CWE-74 — Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')

This CVE was published Sep 09, 2026 and is one of 3 known issues for this plugin.

Update, patch or deactivate.

Update Contact Form 7 Captcha to 0.1.9 or later. The authoritative record identifies this release as outside the affected range.

A safe version is available, so updating to that version or later is the preferred remediation. If an immediate update is not practical, consider a targeted application patch or temporarily restricting the affected functionality.

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.

Technical description

The Contact Form 7 Captcha WordPress plugin before 0.1.9 runs the shortcode parser over the whole rendered Contact Form 7 form, including the values a visitor submitted, allowing unauthenticated users to execute arbitrary shortcodes registered on the site.

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

Primary and upstream sources