YouTube Embed lets unauthenticated callers store scripts through a public AJAX nonce

YouTube Embed 10.0 through 10.3 exposes an AJAX action without an authorization check and prints its nonce on every front-end page. An unauthenticated attacker can obtain that nonce, submit attacker-controlled data for storage, and have the unescaped value execute as a web script when affected content is viewed, including in an administrator's session. The authoritative export does not identify the AJAX action, storage field, rendered context, or parameter names.

CVE / CNA score 8.8 CVSS 3.1 · contact@wpscan.com

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

Component: YouTube Embed
Plugin slug: youtube-embed
Affected: 10.0 through 10.3
Safe version: See mitigation notes
Published: Sep 13, 2026
Weakness: CWE-79 — Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

This CVE was published Sep 13, 2026 and is one of 5 known issues for this plugin.

What to do

Update, patch or deactivate.

No fixed release is confirmed in the authoritative export. The official WordPress.org entry under the apparent slug belongs to a different product and version line, so it does not confirm remediation. Disable and remove the affected YouTube Embed plugin pending a vendor-confirmed fix. The application-level fix must require an appropriate capability in addition to a nonce, validate and sanitize stored input, and escape it for the exact output context.

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 YouTube Embed WordPress plugin from 10.0 to 10.3 does not perform any authorisation check on one of its AJAX actions, relying only on a nonce it prints on every front-end page, and does not escape the stored data before rendering it, allowing unauthenticated attackers to store arbitrary web scripts which will execute in the session of any user viewing the affected content, including an administrator.

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

References

Primary and upstream sources

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

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