CVE-2026-6397
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 · uneditedThe Sticky plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the `cvmh-sticky` shortcode `readmoretext` attribute in versions up to and including 2.5.6. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the `cvmh_sticky_front_render()` function — the `readmoretext` attribute value is passed through `apply_filters()` and directly concatenated into the HTML output without any escaping function such as `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 a page containing the injected shortcode.
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 confidenceThe Sticky WordPress plugin has a stored XSS vulnerability in the cvmh_sticky_front_render() function. The readmoretext attribute of the cvmh-sticky shortcode is not properly escaped before being output in HTML, allowing authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access to inject malicious scripts.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Sticky plugin is installedIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Sticky' plugin, or check the plugin files in wp-content/plugins/ directoryAffected if The Sticky plugin is present in the WordPress installation
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Check installed plugin versionIn WordPress admin, view the plugin details on the Plugins page to see the version number, or check the main plugin file (e.g., sticky.php) for the 'Version' header in the plugin commentsAffected if The version is 2.5.6 or lower (any version <=2.5.6)
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Locate the vulnerable functionInspect the plugin files for the function cvmh_sticky_front_render() - typically in the main plugin file or a related PHP file in the plugin directoryAffected if The function exists and contains output of the readmoretext attribute without escaping
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Check for shortcode usage with readmoretextSearch WordPress content (posts, pages, custom post types) for the sticky shortcode that includes the readmoretext attribute, or check page source for any rendered shortcode outputAffected if The readmoretext attribute is present in any published content and is rendered without HTML escaping
A user is affected if the Sticky plugin version is 2.5.6 or lower AND the readmoretext shortcode attribute is being used in published content without proper escaping.
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 the Sticky plugin to version 2.5.7 or later, which should include proper escaping using esc_html() or similar functions for the readmoretext attribute in the shortcode rendering function.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-6397 — 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-2026-6397 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
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