FAQ Builder AYS permits unauthenticated stored cross-site scripting against administrators
FAQ Builder AYS 1.6.3 through 1.8.4 stores unauthenticated visitor content without adequate sanitization or escaping, and a later decoding step undoes the escaping that is applied. The resulting script executes when a logged-in administrator opens the affected administration page.
- Component
- FAQ Builder AYS
- Plugin slug
faq-builder-ays- Affected
- 1.6.3 to < 1.8.5
- Safe version
1.8.5- Published
- Sep 02, 2026
This CVE was published Sep 02, 2026 and is one of 4 known issues for this plugin.
Update, patch or deactivate.
Update to FAQ Builder AYS 1.8.5 or later, remove malicious stored visitor content, and invalidate privileged sessions if affected administration pages were viewed.
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 FAQ Builder AYS WordPress plugin before 1.8.5 does not sanitize or escape content submitted by unauthenticated visitors before storing it and outputting it in an admin area page, and the escaping it does apply is undone by a subsequent decoding step, leading to Stored XSS which will execute in the context of a logged in administrator.
CVE / CNA vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H