Pre-auth script execution via login parser disagreement
Published Aug 7, 2026 · Updated Aug 7, 2026
Reflected XSS in the WordPress login screen allows remote attackers to run script in the site's origin through a failed login. The invalid-username error inserts the non-strictly sanitized username into HTML; a space after '<' survives PHP strip_tags(), then WordPress KSES reparses it as allowed DOM nodes that user-profile.js automatically activates. The pre-authentication script execution requires a victim to visit an attacker-controlled page; reaching PHP execution further requires an authenticated administrator session and the documented application-password and plugin-upload chain.
Summary
What happened
Reflected XSS in the WordPress login screen allows remote attackers to run script in the site's origin through a failed login. The invalid-username error inserts the non-strictly sanitized username into HTML; a space after '<' survives PHP strip_tags(), then WordPress KSES reparses it as allowed DOM nodes that user-profile.js automatically activates. The pre-authentication script execution requires a victim to visit an attacker-controlled page; reaching PHP execution further requires an authenticated administrator session and the documented application-password and plugin-upload chain.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-64638
- Published
- Aug 7, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 7, 2026
- Vendor
- WordPress.org
- Product
- WordPress
- Classifications
- CWE-79, T1189
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 7, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 7, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- XSS2Shell proof of conceptfunctional · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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