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

CVE-2026-4086

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 WP Random Button plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'cat', 'nocat', and 'text' shortcode attributes of the 'wp_random_button' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 1.0. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied shortcode attributes. Specifically, the random_button_html() function directly concatenates the 'cat' and 'nocat' parameters into HTML data-attributes without esc_attr(), and the 'text' parameter into HTML content without esc_html(). 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 WP Random Button WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in the wp_random_button shortcode. The 'cat' and 'nocat' parameters are concatenated into HTML data-attributes without esc_attr(), and the 'text' parameter is output without esc_html(), allowing authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access to inject malicious scripts.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to a version that properly sanitizes shortcode attributes using esc_attr() for data attributes and esc_html() for text content. If no update is available, remove the plugin.

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 WP Random Button plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'WP Random Button' or check wp-content/plugins directory for the plugin folder
    Affected if Plugin is installed and active
  2. Check plugin version
    In Plugins list, click on the plugin to view details and find the version number, then compare against the version that includes the fix for esc_attr() and esc_html()
    Affected if Version is older than the patched version that adds proper sanitization
  3. Confirm shortcode is available
    Search wp-content/plugins/wp-random-button/ for 'add_shortcode' registration of 'wp_random_button' - if the shortcode is registered, the vulnerable code is loaded
    Affected if Shortcode 'wp_random_button' is registered in the plugin
  4. Identify contributor-level users
    Check WordPress user roles at Users > All Users - look for users with Contributor role who can create posts/pages containing shortcodes
    Affected if Any Contributor-level users exist who can insert shortcodes into content
  5. Audit shortcode usage for vulnerable parameters
    Search post content in wp_posts table or use a search plugin to find instances of [wp_random_button] containing cat=, nocat=, or text= parameters that may contain unsanitized input
    Affected if The shortcode is in use with user-supplied values for cat, nocat, or text parameters

User is affected if the plugin is installed with a vulnerable version AND contributor-level users can create or edit content containing the wp_random_button shortcode with unsanitized cat, nocat, or text parameters.

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 plugin to a version that properly sanitizes shortcode attributes using esc_attr() for data attributes and esc_html() for text content. If no update is available, remove the plugin.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version greater than 1.0 (e.g., 1.0.1 or later)

  1. 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the WP Random Button plugin
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  5. 5. Alternatively, download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/wp-random-button/ and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. 6. After updating, verify the shortcode attributes are now properly sanitized with esc_attr() and esc_html()

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
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-4086 — 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-2026-4086 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