CVE-2026-6174: CC Child Pages WordPress Plugin XSS Flaw

CVE-2026-6174 Overview

CVE-2026-6174 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the CC Child Pages plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 2.1.1. It stems from insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on the more parameter, allowing authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher to inject arbitrary JavaScript. The injected scripts execute in the browser of any visitor who views the affected page.

Critical Impact

Authenticated Contributor-level attackers can inject persistent JavaScript that executes against site visitors and administrators, enabling session theft, content manipulation, and pivoting to higher-privilege accounts.

Affected Products

• CC Child Pages WordPress plugin versions <= 2.1.1
• WordPress sites permitting Contributor-level registration
• Any WordPress installation with the vulnerable plugin active

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-14 - CVE-2026-6174 published to NVD
• 2026-05-14 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-6174

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a stored XSS classified under [CWE-79]. The plugin accepts the more parameter from authenticated users and writes its value into rendered page output without performing adequate sanitization on input or escaping on output. Because the payload is stored server-side, every subsequent visitor to an affected page executes the attacker-supplied script in their browser session.

The attack vector is network-based and requires low privileges and no user interaction. The scope is changed, meaning the injected script can affect resources beyond the plugin's own security context. Confidentiality and integrity impacts are limited to data accessible through the victim's browser session.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient sanitization of the more parameter before persistence, combined with absent output escaping when the value is rendered into page HTML. WordPress provides helper functions such as sanitize_text_field() and esc_html() or esc_attr() for this purpose. The vulnerable code paths in CC Child Pages omit these protections, allowing raw HTML and <script> tags to be stored and later echoed verbatim.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticates to the target WordPress site with Contributor privileges or higher. The attacker submits a crafted more parameter containing JavaScript payloads through the plugin's interface. The payload is stored in the WordPress database and rendered into pages that use the CC Child Pages shortcode or widget. When a higher-privileged user such as an Editor or Administrator views the affected page, the script executes with that user's session context. The attacker can then steal authentication cookies, perform privileged actions via the REST API, or inject persistent backdoors.

No public proof-of-concept code is currently available. Refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-6174

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected <script>, onerror, onload, or javascript: strings persisted in WordPress wp_postmeta or post content tied to the CC Child Pages plugin
• Outbound HTTP requests from visitor browsers to unfamiliar domains immediately after rendering child page listings
• New administrator accounts or modified user roles created shortly after Contributor account activity
• Anomalous edits to plugin-managed posts by low-privilege user accounts

Detection Strategies

• Audit all stored values associated with the more parameter in plugin-related database fields for HTML or JavaScript content
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that inspects POST bodies for script tags and event-handler attributes targeting plugin endpoints
• Review WordPress audit logs for Contributor or Author accounts submitting content containing encoded script payloads
• Enable Content Security Policy (CSP) reporting to surface inline script execution from unexpected sources

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor WordPress access logs for POST requests to plugin endpoints from newly created low-privilege accounts
• Alert on creation or role escalation of WordPress users following Contributor-level content submissions
• Track outbound DNS queries from administrator workstations to domains not previously observed in baseline traffic

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-6174

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the CC Child Pages plugin to a version newer than 2.1.1 once the maintainer publishes a fixed release
• Audit existing posts and pages for malicious content stored via the more parameter and remove injected scripts
• Review Contributor, Author, and Editor accounts for unauthorized or dormant users and disable any not in active use
• Rotate session tokens and require password resets for administrative accounts if compromise is suspected

Patch Information

The plugin maintainer has committed a fix in the WordPress plugin repository. Review the WordPress Plugin Changeset for the specific code changes addressing input sanitization and output escaping on the more parameter. Apply the patched version through the WordPress plugin update workflow.

Workarounds

• Deactivate the CC Child Pages plugin until a patched version is installed and verified
• Restrict Contributor-level and higher account creation to trusted users only, and disable open registration
• Deploy a WAF rule blocking requests containing <script, onerror=, or onload= patterns targeting plugin shortcode parameters
• Implement a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline script execution on the WordPress front end

# Configuration example: WordPress wp-config.php hardening
define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);
define('DISALLOW_UNFILTERED_HTML', true);

# Remove the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate cc-child-pages
wp plugin delete cc-child-pages