CVE-2026-3618 MEDIUM

CVE-2026-3618: Columns by BestWebSoft <= 1.0.3 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'columns' Shortcode 'id' Attribute

Vendor Bestweblayout
Product Columns by BestWebSoft – Additional Columns Plugin for Posts Pages and Widgets
Weakness CWE-79 · XSS
Published April 8, 2026
Last update April 13, 2026

CVSS base score

6.4/10
Attack vector Network
Attack complexity Low
Privileges required Low
User interaction None
Confidentiality Low
Integrity Low

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

What the vulnerability does

01Description

The Columns by BestWebSoft plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'id' shortcode attribute of the [print_clmns] shortcode in all versions up to and including 1.0.3. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on the 'id' attribute. The shortcode receives the 'id' parameter via shortcode_atts() at line 596 and directly embeds it into HTML output at line 731 (in a div id attribute) and into inline CSS at lines 672-729 without any escaping or sanitization. While the SQL query uses %d to cast the value to an integer for database lookup, the original unsanitized string value of $id is still used in the HTML/CSS output. 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. The attack requires that at least one column exists in the plugin (created by an admin), as the SQL query must return results for the output branch to be reached.

Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms

02Summary

The Columns by BestWebSoft plugin for WordPress contains a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in versions up to 1.0.3. An authenticated user with low privileges can inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of other site visitors, potentially affecting the entire site. The vulnerability requires network access but no user interaction from the victim.

What an attacker can do

03Attacker Capabilities

Inject malicious scripts that run in other users' browsers and affect the entire WordPress site.

Potential impact on your site

04Site Impact

Visitors and admins may have their sessions hijacked, credentials stolen, or site content modified without their knowledge.

Conditions required to exploit

05Prerequisites

Attacker must have a low-privilege WordPress account (e.g., contributor or subscriber role).

Key dates

06Disclosure timeline

April 8, 2026 CVE published
April 13, 2026 Record updated

Related vulnerabilities

08Related CVE