CVE-2026-120552
Deferred Deferred - Pending Action

Stored XSS in SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI Plugin for WordPress

Publication date: 2026-11-03

Last updated on: 2026-11-03

Assigner: Wordfence

Description
The SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'title' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 0.9.9 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. 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. WordPress core's wp_filter_kses (applied via title_save_pre for Contributors and Authors) strips literal tag markup on save but leaves HTML-entity-encoded payloads intact in the database, meaning entity-encoded XSS payloads stored via the standard WordPress REST API (POST /wp-json/wp/v2/posts) are not neutralized before reaching the vulnerable sink.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-11-03
Last Modified
2026-11-03
Generated
2026-11-03
AI Q&A
2026-11-03
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-120552

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
tigroumeow SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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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.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw in the SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress plugin. It exists due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the 'title' parameter. Authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher can inject malicious scripts that execute when users view affected pages. WordPress core's wp_filter_kses does not fully neutralize entity-encoded payloads, allowing XSS to persist in the database.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, inspect WordPress sites using the SEO Engine plugin version 0.9.9 or lower. Check for suspicious scripts in post titles via database queries or WordPress admin panels. Use tools like WP-CLI to scan for modified posts or unusual content in the title parameter.

Impact Analysis

If you use the affected plugin versions, attackers could steal user sessions, deface your website, or redirect visitors to malicious sites. The impact depends on user privileges; contributors and above can exploit this. Even low-privilege users may access injected pages, risking broader compromise of your WordPress site.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to user data, violating GDPR's data protection requirements. For HIPAA, it may expose protected health information if exploited. Non-compliance risks fines, legal action, and reputational damage due to potential data breaches.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately update the SEO Engine plugin to the latest version. If an update is unavailable, disable the plugin temporarily. Review posts for injected scripts and remove any malicious content. Ensure input sanitization is enforced in WordPress configurations.

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