dbcve.org
Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2026-4004

MEDIUM · 6.5 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 →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Task Manager plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution via the 'search' AJAX action in all versions up to, and including, 3.0.2. This is due to missing capability checks in the callback_search() function and insufficient input validation that allows shortcode syntax (square brackets) to pass through sanitize_text_field() and be concatenated into a do_shortcode() call. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to execute arbitrary shortcodes on the site by injecting shortcode syntax into parameters like 'task_id', 'point_id', 'categories_id', or 'term'.

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 Task Manager plugin for WordPress has an arbitrary shortcode execution vulnerability in versions up to 3.0.2. The AJAX 'search' action lacks proper capability checks, allowing Subscriber-level users to inject shortcode syntax via parameters like 'task_id', 'point_id', 'categories_id', or 'term'. Since sanitize_text_field() doesn't strip square brackets, the input reaches do_shortcode() and executes arbitrary shortcodes.

MitigationApply a patch that adds capability checks (e.g., 'edit_posts' or higher) to the callback_search() function and implements input validation that strips shortcode syntax before passing to do_shortcode(), or update to the 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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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. Identify the installed Task Manager plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, locate Task Manager, and note the version number displayed. Alternatively, check the plugin's main PHP file for the 'Version' header comment.
    Affected if The version is 3.0.2 or lower (any version up to 3.0.2 is affected).
  2. Confirm subscriber-level user accounts exist
    Navigate to Users > All Users in the WordPress admin panel. Review the role column to identify any users assigned the Subscriber role.
    Affected if At least one user with the Subscriber role exists in the WordPress installation.
  3. Verify the AJAX search action is accessible
    Inspect the plugin's PHP code for the AJAX registration of the 'search' action (typically via add_action('wp_ajax_...' or wp_ajax_nopriv_...). Check if the callback function 'callback_search()' is publicly accessible without authentication.
    Affected if The AJAX 'search' action is registered without requiring authentication or higher-level capabilities.
  4. Check for capability checks in the search callback
    Locate the callback_search() function in the plugin code. Examine whether it performs any capability checks (such as current_user_can('edit_posts') or similar) before processing the request.
    Affected if The callback_search() function lacks capability checks and executes without verifying user permissions.
  5. Inspect parameter handling for shortcode injection vectors
    Review how the parameters 'task_id', 'point_id', 'categories_id', and 'term' are processed in the search callback. Verify whether sanitize_text_field() is applied without additional shortcode-stripping logic.
    Affected if These parameters pass unsanitized input directly to do_shortcode() or similar evaluation functions.

A user is affected if the Task Manager plugin version is 3.0.2 or lower, subscriber-level accounts exist, and the AJAX search action is accessible without proper capability checks, allowing shortcode injection.

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

Apply a patch that adds capability checks (e.g., 'edit_posts' or higher) to the callback_search() function and implements input validation that strips shortcode syntax before passing to do_shortcode(), or update to the patched version when available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Task Manager plugin version 3.0.3 or later

  1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the 'Task Manager' plugin
  4. Check if an update is available (version should be higher than 3.0.2)
  5. If update available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  6. If no update shown, manually download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/cm-task-manager/ and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  7. After update, verify the plugin version is newer than 3.0.2

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-4004 — 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-2026-4004 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