CVE-2026-18964
Received Received - Intake

Reflected XSS in Chaty WordPress Plugin

Publication date: 2026-09-11

Last updated on: 2026-09-11

Assigner: Wordfence

Description
The Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the 's' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 3.5.9 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that execute if they can successfully trick a user into performing an action such as clicking on a link. WordPress's server-side HTML encoding of the 's' search parameter in the <title> element is bypassed because the browser DOM API decodes HTML entities when jQuery's .text() method reads document.title, returning literal special characters that are then embedded unescaped into the constructed HTML attribute value.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-11
Last Modified
2026-09-11
Generated
2026-09-11
AI Q&A
2026-09-11
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-18964
EUVD
EUVD-2026-75931

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
chaty chaty to 3.5.9 (inc)

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 Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw in the Chaty WordPress plugin. It exists due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the 's' parameter. Attackers can inject malicious scripts into web pages, which execute when a user clicks a crafted link. The issue bypasses WordPress's HTML encoding because the browser decodes HTML entities, allowing unescaped special characters to be embedded in HTML attributes.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, inspect WordPress sites using the Chaty plugin version 3.5.9 or earlier. Check for reflected XSS via the 's' parameter in search URLs. Manually test by appending crafted payloads like <script>alert(1)</script> to URLs containing '?s=' and observe if scripts execute.

Impact Analysis

Unauthenticated attackers could trick users into clicking a malicious link, leading to arbitrary web scripts executing in their browser. This could result in session hijacking, defacement, or theft of sensitive data like cookies or credentials. Users with administrative access are particularly at risk if they interact with the crafted link.

Compliance Impact

This XSS vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to user data, violating GDPR's data protection principles and HIPAA's security requirements for protected health information. Organizations using the vulnerable plugin may face compliance breaches if user data is compromised through such attacks.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately update the Chaty plugin to the latest version beyond 3.5.9. If an update is unavailable, disable or remove the plugin. Implement a web application firewall to block XSS attempts. Monitor for suspicious activity or unauthorized script injections.

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