# CVE-2026-109198: CleanTalk Anti-Spam stored cross-site scripting in user email

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-109198-the-anti-spam-by-cleantalk-spam-protection-without-captcha  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-23. Updated: 2026-10-23  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-109198 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.2 · Published 2026-10-23

CleanTalk is a WordPress spam protection plugin that helps websites block automated spam registrations and comments. An unauthenticated attacker can inject malicious scripts into user registration data that execute when site administrators review spam reports, potentially allowing attackers to steal admin credentials or perform unauthorized actions on the site. This attack requires the site to allow public user registration, which is common on many WordPress sites.

Vendors: [CleanTalk](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/cleantalk).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-109198 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-109198 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-109198?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.2, published 23 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** CleanTalk Anti-Spam – Spam Protection Without CAPTCHA up to and including 6.89.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-109198?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-109198 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-109198?** Check whether you run CleanTalk Anti-Spam – Spam Protection Without CAPTCHA at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape the 'user_email' parameter during user registration, leading to stored cross-site scripting (XSS). An unauthenticated attacker can inject arbitrary JavaScript through the registration form; the malicious script is stored in the database and executed in the admin's browser when they run the user-spam scan and view the Non-checkable users or Spam users tabs. This requires open user registration and admin interaction with the spam scan workflow to trigger execution.

## Affected products

- CleanTalk Anti-Spam – Spam Protection Without CAPTCHA up to and including 6.89.1

## Timeline

- 2026-10-23: disclosed

## References

- [https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/cleantalk-spam-protect/tags/6.89.1/inc/cleantalk-public-integrations.php](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/cleantalk-spam-protect/tags/6.89.1/inc/cleantalk-public-integrations.php)
- [https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/cleantalk-spam-protect/tags/6.89.1/lib/Cleantalk/ApbctWP/FindSpam/ListTable/BadUsers.php](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/cleantalk-spam-protect/tags/6.89.1/lib/Cleantalk/ApbctWP/FindSpam/ListTable/BadUsers.php)

## Related threats

- [CleanTalk Anti-Spam plugin for WordPress stored XSS](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-103424-the-anti-spam-by-cleantalk-spam-protection-without-captcha)