Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2026-16685: WordPress Download Manager Stored XSS in icon shortcode attribute

CVE-2026-16685 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.4 · Published 2026-08-01

Executive brief

The Download Manager plugin for WordPress, which is used to manage and track file downloads, contains a security vulnerability that allows users with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts into website pages. These scripts execute automatically when other users, including site administrators, visit the affected pages. This could lead to unauthorized actions being performed on behalf of other users or the theft of sensitive session information.

Technical details

The Download Manager plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via the 'icon' shortcode attribute in versions up to and including 3.3.66. The vulnerability arises because the plugin fails to sufficiently sanitize input and escape output for shortcode attributes during page rendering. While WordPress's standard wp_kses_post() function is used, it only filters post content at save time and does not process shortcode attributes that are dynamically emitted unescaped at render time. An authenticated attacker with contributor-level permissions or higher can exploit this to inject arbitrary web scripts. These scripts will execute in the context of any user who views the page containing the malicious shortcode.

Affected products

  • codename065 Download Manager up to, and including, 3.3.66

Timeline

  • 2026-08-01: disclosed
  • 2026-08-01: advisory

References