# CVE-2026-17506: Independent Analytics <= 2.15.0 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting

> Unauthenticated attackers can inject arbitrary web scripts via the 404 tracking parameter, leading to stored XSS execution in WordPress admin pages.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cv7w-3p2j-xhxx

## What is CVE-2026-17506?

CVE-2026-17506 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in bensibley Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin, published on 5 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Independent Analytics plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 404 not_found_url tracking parameter in versions up to, and including, 2.15.0. This is due to the get_cell_content() function applying urldecode() after esc_url() when rendering the URL column for 404 entries — a sequence that allows percent-encoded HTML to pass URL validation and then be reconstructed as raw markup, which wp_kses_post() does not strip because it retains img elements and data-* attributes, and because the public REST endpoint /iawp/search accepts unauthenticated requests as long as they carry a signature that is itself embedded in public page HTML. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-17506?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-17506?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-17506 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-17506 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-17506 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-17506 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-17506 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in bensibley Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin, published on 5 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-17506 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: bensibley Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin. 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-2026-17506/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-17506/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-17506
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-17506
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-17506

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-17506/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.