Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain access to a W3 Total Cache input that stores data
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ExploitInject crafted script into stored field
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ExecutionPrivileged user views affected page
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ImpactScript executes in victim's authenticated session
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Output encoding, context-aware escaping
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | The available description states only that W3 Total Cache (through 2.10.7) 'allows Stored XSS' and does not name the specific input field, parameter, setting, or deployment mode that is vulnerable - the trigger is not described in the available sources. Structurally, stored XSS requires two conditions: (1) the attacker must be able to write a payload into a field that W3 Total Cache persists and later renders, and (2) a victim must subsequently view the page where that payload is output (reflected in the vector as UI:R). The scope-change flag (S:C) indicates execution in the victim's browser security context. The supplied vector lists PR:N (unauthenticated), but the description does not confirm an unauthenticated injection point; because stored XSS in a plugin configuration surface commonly requires authenticated access, the practical limiting factor - required privilege to store the payload - cannot be verified from the available data. Required user interaction (a privileged user loading the affected page) is a confirmed limiting factor. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but mid-tier priority rather than an emergency. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity stored XSS whose scope-change flag reflects script execution in a victim's browser authority. The vuln.today decision label is 'this_week', consistent with a serious-but-not-active-exploitation issue. Several high-urgency signals are ABSENT from the input: there is no EPSS probability supplied, no CISA KEV listing, and no verified exploit code - so exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis' (the sole reference is a Patchstack vulnerability-database entry, which is an advisory, not working exploit code). One signal to treat with caution: the supplied vector states PR:N (unauthenticated), yet stored XSS in a caching-plugin almost always requires the ability to persist a payload into a stored field, which typically implies some authenticated access - the available description does not state the injection point or privilege required, so the PR:N value cannot be independently confirmed. The S:C/UI:R combination also means a victim (likely an administrator viewing an affected page) must load the stored payload, which limits unattended mass exploitation. Net: patch within the vendor's/decision-label window, but this is not a drop-everything KEV-grade incident on current evidence. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker persists a malicious script into a W3 Total Cache input that is later rendered back without proper neutralization; when a privileged user (e.g., a site administrator) views the affected page, the script executes in their authenticated browser session and can act on their behalf. No verified public exploit code is available - the only reference is the Patchstack database entry. The scope-change flag indicates the payload executes in the victim's browser security context rather than the plugin's, and the attack additionally requires the victim to view the affected page (UI:R). |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 24, 2026
Stored cross-site scripting in the Bold Grid WordPress plugin W3 Total Cache, affecting every version through 2.10.7, lets an attacker persist a script payload that then runs in the browser of a user who loads the affected page. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.1 with scope change (S:C) and required user interaction (UI:R), so a victim - typically a privileged user viewing the rendered output - must load the tainted page before the payload fires. Exploitation status: no public exploit identified at time of analysis; the issue is not listed in CISA KEV and no EPSS value was supplied, and the priority label is 'this week' rather than emergency.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch or fixed version is identified in the available data for CVE-2026-114178; the affected ceiling remains 2.10.7, so operators should track the Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/w3-total-cache/vulnerability/wordpress-w3-total-cache-plugin-2-10-7-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve and apply the vendor's updated release as soon as it is published. Because the vulnerable surface is a plugin that stores and re-renders user-influenced values, the direct compensating control is to deactivate and, if it cannot be updated promptly, uninstall W3 Total Cache, accepting the trade-off that caching, minification and CDN features are lost and pages are served uncached until an alternative is configured. Restricting access to the WordPress administrative settings screens where the plugin renders stored values to trusted accounts reduces the victim population that can trigger the UI:R requirement, at the cost of limiting who can manage cache configuration.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The root cause is CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation), specifically the stored variant: data that W3 Total Cache persists and later re-renders is written back into a page without adequate output encoding, so a script payload survives across requests rather than executing only once. The plugin is a WordPress caching/performance extension, meaning its persisted configuration values are output on its own settings screens and potentially in generated front-end markup; because the scope-change flag (S:C) is set, successful execution crosses into the victim's browser security context and can act with that user's privileges. CPE data identifies the affected package as cpe:2.3:a:bold_grid:w3_total_cache with all versions up to and including 2.10.7 in scope. The available sources do not name the specific field, parameter, setting or deployment mode that is vulnerable, so the trigger is not described in the available data; the required privilege level to store a payload is likewise unverified, since the published vector lists PR:N while stored XSS in a plugin configuration surface commonly requires authenticated access.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
Stored XSS payloads normally require authenticated write access to a persisted field, so PR:L rather than PR:N; a victim must view the page (UI:R) and script runs in the browser context (S:C), with limited C/I/A.
Primary rating from Vendor (Patchstack).
CVSS VectorVendor: Patchstack
DescriptionCVE.org
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Bold Grid W3 Total Cache w3-total-cache allows Stored XSS.This issue affects W3 Total Cache: from n/a through 2.10.7.
Executive ViewAI
CVE-2026-114178 is a high-severity stored cross-site scripting flaw in the W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin (versions through 2.10.7) that could allow an attacker to inject persistent scripts into pages viewed by privileged users. This creates a risk of session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized administrative actions, potentially compromising the entire WordPress site and any sensitive data it handles. Security management should prioritize remediation because the plugin is widely deployed and the vulnerability requires no authentication to exploit, though user interaction is needed for the payload to execute.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include restricting WordPress admin access to trusted IPs, deploying a WAF with virtual patching rules, enforcing Content Security Policy headers, and monitoring for anomalous administrative activity. If the plugin is not essential, consider disabling or removing it until a patch is available.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.
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EUVD-2026-109252
GHSA-h6ff-3vf9-xx37
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB