CVE-2026-97020

Deferred Deferred - Pending Action

Stored XSS in PO/MO Editor WordPress Plugin

Publication date: 2026-10-14

Last updated on: 2026-10-15

Assigner: Wordfence

Description

The PO/MO Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'podata' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.2 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page. The injected payload is loaded as a replacement .po/.mo translation file via the plugin's own load_textdomain_mofile filter, causing WordPress to serve the attacker-written translation in place of the original core strings.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-14

Last Modified

2026-10-15

Generated

2026-10-19

AI Q&A

2026-10-14

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-18

NVD

CVE-2026-97020

EUVD

EUVD-2026-100791

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
dougwollison	PO/MO	Editor 0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-79	The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw in the PO/MO Editor WordPress plugin up to version 1.4.2. It allows authenticated attackers with subscriber-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts via the 'podata' parameter. The scripts are stored in translation files and executed when users access affected pages.

Detection Guidance

Check for the presence of the PO/MO Editor plugin in WordPress installations. Inspect translation files (.po/.mo) for unauthorized scripts in the 'podata' parameter. Review WordPress logs for unusual script injections or file modifications.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow attackers to steal user sessions, perform actions on behalf of users, or deface websites. It requires authenticated access but could impact all visitors to an affected site.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized data access or modification, potentially violating GDPR (data protection) or HIPAA (health data privacy) by exposing sensitive user information.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the PO/MO Editor plugin to the latest version if available. Remove or disable the plugin if no update is provided. Sanitize all translation files and monitor for unauthorized changes. Restrict subscriber-level access to prevent exploitation.

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