What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-13040?

CVE-2026-13040 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.2 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.3%.

Which versions of NEX-Forms are affected by CVE-2026-13040?

NEX-Forms WordPress plugin (versions through 9.2.2) allows unauthenticated attackers to inject persistent malicious JavaScript that executes in the browsers of all site visitors.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-13040?

Within 24 hours: audit all WordPress instances for NEX-Forms plugin presence and confirm installed versions. Within 7 days: immediately disable or remove NEX-Forms versions 9.2.2 and earlier; review form submission logs and website analytics from the past 90 days for signs of exploitation (suspicious scripts, anomalous user behavior). Within 30 days: contact NEX-Forms vendor for patch timeline and select alternative form plugin (e.g., WPForms, Formidable Forms, Contact Form 7) as replacement; if replacement unavailable, implement WAF blocking of 'real_val__' parameter.

NEX-Forms CVE-2026-13040

EUVD-2026-41487 HIGH

Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79)

2026-07-03 Wordfence

GHSA-vm43-p47r-7qww

WordPress XSS CSRF Wordpress Plugin Nex Forms Ultimate Forms Plugin For Wordpress Webaways

7.2

CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Wordfence

Severity by source

Vendor (Wordfence) PRIMARY

7.2 HIGH

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

vuln.today AI

7.2 HIGH

Unauthenticated network-reachable no-nonce endpoint gives AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N; stored XSS executes in a different (victim browser) context so S:C with limited C:L/I:L and no availability impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (Wordfence).

CVSS VectorVendor: Wordfence

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Generated

Jul 03, 2026 - 05:46 vuln.today

CVE Published

Jul 03, 2026 - 04:30 cve.org

HIGH 7.2

DescriptionCVE.org

The NEX-Forms - Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'real_val__' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 9.2.2 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page. The submission endpoint is registered via wp_ajax_nopriv_submit_nex_form with no nonce verification, making it fully accessible to unauthenticated attackers without any CSRF token.

Articles & Coverage 1

News 5 New WordPress Vulnerabilities - 1 Critical, 4 High Severity Jul 04, 2026

AnalysisAI

Stored cross-site scripting in the NEX-Forms - Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress (all versions through 9.2.2) lets unauthenticated attackers persist arbitrary JavaScript via the 'real_val__' form-submission parameter, which later executes in the browser of any user who views the affected page. The flaw is amplified by a design weakness: the submission handler is registered through wp_ajax_nopriv_submit_nex_form with no nonce/CSRF verification, so no authentication or valid session is required to reach the vulnerable sink. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no CISA KEV listing, but the unauthenticated, network-reachable nature makes it a practical mass-exploitation candidate against exposed WordPress sites.

Technical ContextAI

The affected component is a WordPress form-builder plugin (vendor slug 'nex-forms-express-wp-form-builder', CPE cpe:2.3:a:webaways:nex-forms_-_ultimate_forms_plugin_for_wordpress) that renders user-submitted form values. The root cause is CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation): the 'real_val__' parameter is stored without sufficient input sanitization and reflected back without adequate output escaping, so injected markup is treated as executable script rather than inert data. The exposure surface is WordPress's AJAX layer - the plugin hooks the submit routine to wp_ajax_nopriv_submit_nex_form, the 'nopriv' variant explicitly served to logged-out visitors, and omits WordPress nonce verification, removing the CSRF/anti-automation control that would normally gate such an endpoint. Wordfence's advisory and the plugin.trac source references (e.g. main.php lines 467, 2660, 4870, 4896, 5323 and class.functions.php line 2461 across tags 9.1.11 and 9.2.2) identify the handling and output paths involved.

RemediationAI

No fixed version number is stated in the provided data, so the specific patched release is not independently confirmed; an upstream fix appears staged in the plugin repository changeset (https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?reponame=&old=3584399%40nex-forms-express-wp-form-builder&new=3584399%40nex-forms-express-wp-form-builder), meaning a corrected build is likely available or imminent. Administrators should update NEX-Forms to the latest release above 9.2.2 as soon as the vendor publishes it and confirm via the Wordfence advisory (https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/49dc267a-48cf-487f-bedc-fd892666e9a0?source=cve). Until a confirmed patched version is installed, compensating controls include deactivating the NEX-Forms plugin if forms are non-essential (side effect: all forms stop working), placing a WAF/virtual-patch rule in front of the wp-admin/admin-ajax.php endpoint to block the submit_nex_form action for unauthenticated requests carrying script-like 'real_val__' payloads (side effect: risk of blocking legitimate submissions if rules are too broad), and restricting or monitoring who can view stored submission/entry pages in wp-admin to limit the population of potential XSS victims (side effect: added operational overhead). Absence of a published patch version here is missing data, not confirmation that none exists.