dbcve.org
Cross-site Scripting (XSS)Weakness · CWE-79

CVE-2026-3998

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-15
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 WM JqMath plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'style' shortcode attribute of the [jqmath] shortcode in all versions up to and including 1.3. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied shortcode attributes. The generate_jqMathFormula() function directly concatenates the 'style' attribute value into an HTML style attribute without applying esc_attr() or any other escaping. 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 WM JqMath WordPress plugin versions up to 1.3 contains a stored XSS vulnerability in the generate_jqMathFormula() function. The 'style' shortcode attribute is directly concatenated into HTML style attributes without esc_attr() or any other escaping, allowing authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access to inject arbitrary JavaScript.

MitigationApply output escaping (esc_attr()) to the style attribute in generate_jqMathFormula() before using it in HTML output, or update to a patched version when available.

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. Confirm WM JqMath plugin is installed
    Check the WordPress plugins directory (wp-content/plugins/) for a folder named 'wm-jqmath' or similar, and inspect the main plugin file header for the version number.
    Affected if The plugin folder exists and the version header shows 1.3 or lower.
  2. Verify the installed version is within affected range
    Open the main plugin PHP file (usually wp-content/plugins/wm-jqmath/wm-jqmath.php or similar) and locate the Version header in the plugin comment block. Compare it to the affected range (1.3 and below).
    Affected if The reported version is 1.3 or any version lower than 1.3.
  3. Locate the vulnerable generate_jqMathFormula() function
    Search the plugin source files for the function named 'generate_jqMathFormula' or 'generate_jqmath_formula'. Open the file containing this function.
    Affected if The function exists in the plugin files.
  4. Inspect the function for unescaped style attribute usage
    Within the generate_jqMathFormula() function, locate where the 'style' shortcode attribute is used in HTML output. Look for patterns like 'style="' concatenated directly with the attribute without esc_attr() or similar escaping functions.
    Affected if The style attribute value is output directly into HTML without esc_attr() or other escaping applied.
  5. Confirm shortcode registration and usage
    Verify the plugin registers a shortcode (search for add_shortcode) that accepts a 'style' attribute and calls generate_jqMathFormula(). Check if shortcodes are actively used in posts/pages.
    Affected if A shortcode accepting the style attribute is registered and may be used in site content.

The environment is affected if the WM JqMath plugin is installed with version 1.3 or lower and the generate_jqMathFormula() function contains unescaped style attribute output in the shortcode handler.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply output escaping (esc_attr()) to the style attribute in generate_jqMathFormula() before using it in HTML output, or update to a patched version when available.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-3998 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-3998 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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