CVE-2026-53741
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 · uneditedSimple Link Directory through 9.0.4 interpolates the sld_no_results_found option into a JavaScript string literal without encoding. Because sanitize_text_field leaves quotes intact, a stored payload breaks out of the string and runs script for every page visitor.
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 · moderate confidenceSimple Link Directory plugin through 9.0.4 contains a stored XSS vulnerability in the sld_no_results_found option. The plugin uses sanitize_text_field for validation, which preserves quotes, and then interpolates this value directly into a JavaScript string literal without additional encoding. This allows attackers to inject a crafted payload containing quote characters to break out of the JS string and execute arbitrary script in every visitor's browser.
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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Simple Link Directory plugin is installedCheck the WordPress plugins directory for simple-link-directory folder, or view the installed plugins list in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed PluginsAffected if The plugin Simple Link Directory is present in the WordPress installation
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Check the plugin versionExamine the main plugin file (typically simple-link-directory.php) for the 'Version' header or version constant, or view the version column in WordPress admin plugins listAffected if The installed version is 9.0.4 or earlier
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Locate the sld_no_results_found option in the databaseQuery the wp_options table (or equivalent options table with prefix) for option_name = 'sld_no_results_found' using a database tool or WP CLI: wp option get sld_no_results_foundAffected if The option exists and has a non-empty value set
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Inspect the option value for injection markersExamine the stored value of sld_no_results_found for unescaped quotes, especially single quotes that could break out of a JavaScript string literal contextAffected if The option value contains unescaped single quotes or appears to have JavaScript code injection attempts
A user is affected if Simple Link Directory version 9.0.4 or earlier is installed, the sld_no_results_found option is populated, and the option value contains unescaped quotes that could break out of JavaScript string context when the page renders.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpdate to a patched version that properly encodes option values before JavaScript interpolation (e.g., using json_encode or esc_js), or apply a workaround by sanitizing input with quote-encoding before storage.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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 locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-53741 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-53741 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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