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Cross-site Scripting (XSS)Weakness · CWE-79

CVE-2026-6275

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-29
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 StatCounter – Free Real Time Visitor Stats plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting in versions up to, and including, 2.1.1 This is due to insufficient output escaping on the post author's nickname in the statcounter_addToTags() function. The function is hooked to wp_head and fires on every single post page. It retrieves the post author's nickname via the_author_meta() and echoes it directly into a JavaScript double-quoted string context inside a <script> block without applying esc_js() or any equivalent JavaScript-context escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Author-level access and above to inject arbitrary web scripts into pages that will execute whenever any user (including unauthenticated visitors) accesses a post authored by the attacker.

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 StatCounter WordPress plugin echoes the post author's nickname directly into a JavaScript double-quoted string context in the statcounter_addToTags() function without applying esc_js() escaping. An authenticated attacker with Author-level access can set a malicious nickname containing JavaScript that executes in every visitor's browser when viewing their posts.

MitigationApply esc_js() escaping to the_author_meta() output before embedding it in the JavaScript context, and implement input validation on user profile nickname fields.

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 StatCounter plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress Admin > Plugins and confirm StatCounter plugin is active, or check /wp-content/plugins/ directory for statcounter folder
    Affected if StatCounter plugin is installed and active
  2. Check plugin version
    Look at the plugin header in the main statcounter.php file (comment block at top) or view plugin details in WordPress admin plugins list
    Affected if Plugin version is unknown or older than the patched version (compare to vendor release notes)
  3. Locate the vulnerable function
    Search plugin files for 'statcounter_addToTags' function and verify it contains the_author_meta() being output without esc_js() wrapping
    Affected if Function exists and outputs the_author_meta('nickname') directly into JavaScript without esc_js() escaping
  4. Confirm author nickname can be controlled
    Check if WordPress user profiles allow setting a nickname (Users > Profile in admin), or query wp_usermeta table for meta_key='nickname'
    Affected if User accounts have editable nickname fields that can be modified
  5. Verify JavaScript output context
    Search for the vulnerable function call in plugin code and confirm it outputs within a <script> tag containing a double-quoted string
    Affected if The vulnerable function is called and its output is placed inside a <script> block with double-quoted JavaScript strings

The environment is affected if the StatCounter plugin is installed, contains the unescaped the_author_meta() output in statcounter_addToTags(), and the plugin's JavaScript is being rendered on pages with author information.

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 esc_js() escaping to the_author_meta() output before embedding it in the JavaScript context, and implement input validation on user profile nickname fields.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version available on wordpress.org (greater than 2.1.1)

  1. 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate the StatCounter – Free Real Time Visitor Stats plugin
  4. 4. Check the current version installed (should be 2.1.1 or below)
  5. 5. Click 'Update Now' if an update is available, or manually download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/statcounter-wordpress-plugin/
  6. 6. After updating, verify the new version number reflects the patched release
  7. 7. Test that the plugin still functions correctly by viewing a post page

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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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-2026-6275 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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