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

CVE-2026-3516

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Contact List plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the '_cl_map_iframe' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 3.0.18. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping when handling the Google Maps iframe custom field. The saveCustomFields() function in class-contact-list-custom-fields.php uses a regex to extract <iframe> tags from user input but does not validate or sanitize the iframe's attributes, allowing event handlers like 'onload' to be included. The extracted iframe HTML is stored via update_post_meta() and later rendered on the front-end in class-cl-public-card.php without any escaping or wp_kses filtering. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The Contact List WordPress plugin up to 3.0.18 has a stored XSS vulnerability in the Google Maps iframe custom field. The saveCustomFields() function extracts iframe tags via regex but fails to sanitize attributes, allowing event handlers like onload. This malicious iframe HTML is stored via update_post_meta() and rendered in class-cl-public-card.php without escaping or wp_kses filtering, enabling script execution on page access.

MitigationUpdate the Contact List plugin to version 3.0.19 or later. Until then, restrict contributor-level access and audit existing posts for injected iframe content.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Contact List plugin is installed
    Locate the Contact List plugin in wp-content/plugins/ and check the main plugin file header for the Version comment
    Affected if The plugin is installed and the version is 3.0.18 or lower
  2. Confirm Google Maps custom field feature is in use
    Check wp_postmeta table for meta_key containing 'google_maps' or similar iframe-related custom field entries associated with posts
    Affected if Posts have custom field data using the Google Maps iframe feature
  3. Inspect stored custom field values for unsanitized iframe HTML
    Query wp_postmeta for meta_value containing iframe tags, specifically looking for attributes like onload, onerror, or javascript: handlers that were not filtered
    Affected if Any stored meta_value contains iframe HTML with event handler attributes that survived storage unchanged
  4. Verify output escaping in class-cl-public-card.php
    Examine the plugin file class-cl-public-card.php where the custom field is rendered to confirm whether htmlspecialchars, esc_html, or wp_kses is applied before outputting the iframe
    Affected if The iframe content from custom fields is output directly without escaping or filtering

You are affected if the Contact List plugin versions 3.0.18 or lower is installed, the Google Maps iframe custom field feature is used, and stored post meta contains iframe HTML with unsanitized event handlers that render without escaping.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the Contact List plugin to version 3.0.19 or later. Until then, restrict contributor-level access and audit existing posts for injected iframe content.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Contact List plugin version 3.0.19 or later

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard with Contributor-level or higher access
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the 'Contact List' plugin in the list
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  5. 5. Alternatively, download the latest version from the WordPress plugin repository and upload it via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. 6. After updating, verify the plugin is running on version 3.0.19 or later
  7. 7. Test that the Google Maps iframe custom field functionality still works correctly with properly sanitized iframe embeds

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-3516 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data