# CVE-2026-12561: tagDiv Composer <= 5.4.5 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting

> Authenticated attackers with Contributor access can inject arbitrary scripts via the vc_raw_html shortcode, leading to script execution when pages are viewed.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 25 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5jqp-q3wh-2735

## What is CVE-2026-12561?

CVE-2026-12561 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in tagDiv Composer, published on 25 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The tagDiv Composer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the vc_raw_html shortcode in all versions up to and including 5.4.5. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the vc_raw_html::render() method, which base64-decodes shortcode content (after a strip_tags() that is bypassed because the encoded payload contains no tags on save) and concatenates the result directly into the page HTML. Because WordPress's save-time wp_kses_post() filter only sees the inert base64 text inside a normal shortcode bracket and does not decode it, the dangerous tags survive into post_content and are emitted unescaped at render time. 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 (for example, when an Editor or Administrator previews the pending post).

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-12561?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-12561?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-12561 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-12561 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-12561 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-12561 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-12561 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in tagDiv Composer, published on 25 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-12561 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: tagDiv Composer. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-12561/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-12561/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-12561
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-12561
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-12561

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-12561/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.