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

CVE-2026-4278

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-26
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 Simple Download Counter plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'sdc_menu' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 2.3. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on user-supplied shortcode attributes, specifically the 'text' and 'cat' attributes. The 'text' attribute is output directly into HTML content on line 159 without any escaping (e.g., esc_html()). The 'cat' attribute is used unescaped in HTML class attributes on lines 135 and 157 without esc_attr(). 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 Simple Download Counter WordPress plugin fails to sanitize shortcode attributes in the [sdc_menu] shortcode. The 'text' attribute is output directly to HTML without escaping on line 159, while the 'cat' attribute is used in HTML class attributes without esc_attr() on lines 135 and 157. An attacker with Contributor-level access can inject malicious JavaScript that executes when users view pages containing the crafted shortcode.

MitigationUpgrade to version 2.4 or later which adds proper escaping using esc_html() for the text attribute and esc_attr() for the cat attribute. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict shortcode usage permissions pending the patch.

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 Simple Download Counter plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Simple Download Counter' in the list
    Affected if The plugin is not installed or has been removed entirely (not affected)
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    Click 'View details' on the Simple Download Counter plugin in the WordPress plugins list to see the current version number
    Affected if Version is lower than 2.4 (e.g., 2.3, 2.2, etc.) - this indicates vulnerability
  3. Search for usage of the [sdc_menu] shortcode
    In WordPress admin, search posts/pages for the string '[sdc_menu' using the content search, or query the wp_posts table for post_content containing 'sdc_menu'
    Affected if The shortcode is present in any published content - attacker could have injected payload
  4. Inspect the shortcode attributes being used
    Examine any found [sdc_menu] shortcode instances and check if the 'text' or 'cat' attributes contain unsanitized user input or suspicious patterns like <script tags or javascript: URIs
    Affected if The 'text' or 'cat' attributes contain raw/unfiltered content that could contain XSS payloads

The environment is affected if Simple Download Counter plugin version is below 2.4 AND the [sdc_menu] shortcode is in use with controllable text or cat attributes that could contain malicious script content.

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

Upgrade to version 2.4 or later which adds proper escaping using esc_html() for the text attribute and esc_attr() for the cat attribute. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict shortcode usage permissions pending the patch.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.4

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Locate the Simple Download Counter plugin in the list
  4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to version 2.4
  5. If no update is shown, deactivate the plugin, delete the existing installation, then upload and install version 2.4 from the WordPress plugin repository or the plugin vendor
  6. Verify the plugin is running version 2.4 after the upgrade

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-4278 — 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-2026-4278 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