CVE-2026-22523
Published: 25 March 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-22523 is a high-severity Cross-site Scripting (CWE-79) vulnerability. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Spearphishing Link (T1566.002); ranked at the 14.4th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-15 (Information Output Filtering).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2026-22523 is an Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation vulnerability, classified as Reflected Cross-site Scripting (XSS) under CWE-79, in the Ultra WordPress Admin (ultra-admin) plugin developed by themepassion. This issue affects the plugin from unknown initial versions (n/a) through version 11.7 inclusive, as deployed on WordPress sites.
The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L), indicating exploitation is possible over the network with low attack complexity, no required privileges, but necessitating user interaction. Remote attackers can exploit it by crafting malicious input that reflects back in the web page generation process, tricking authenticated or administrative users into interacting (e.g., via a phishing link). Successful exploitation allows script execution in the victim's browser context, enabling low-impact theft of session data, manipulation of page content, or minor disruptions, with scope expanded beyond the vulnerable component.
The Patchstack advisory at https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/ultra-admin/vulnerability/wordpress-ultra-wordpress-admin-plugin-11-7-reflected-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve details the Reflected XSS in Ultra WordPress Admin plugin version 11.7 and provides guidance for mitigation, which security practitioners should review for patching instructions, such as updating to a fixed version or applying available defenses.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-15536
Vulnerability details
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in themepassion Ultra WordPress Admin ultra-admin allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects Ultra WordPress Admin: from n/a through <= 11.7.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Reflected XSS directly enables delivery of malicious payloads via crafted links that require user interaction, matching spearphishing link technique.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly addresses reflected XSS by filtering output during web page generation to prevent malicious script injection and execution in victims' browsers.
Validates and sanitizes untrusted inputs to the Ultra WordPress Admin plugin, neutralizing malicious payloads before they are reflected.
Remediates the specific improper neutralization flaw in the plugin by identifying, patching, and updating to a fixed version.