# CVE-2026-19985: Relevanssi A Better Search reflected cross-site scripting

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-19985-relevanssi-a-better-search-reflected-cross-site-scripting  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-11. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-19985 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.1 · Published 2026-09-11

Relevanssi is a popular WordPress plugin that provides enhanced search functionality for WordPress sites. An unauthenticated attacker can inject malicious JavaScript into pages viewed by site visitors by crafting a specially designed link, potentially stealing user credentials, session tokens, or performing unauthorized actions on behalf of the victim. This attack requires the attacker to trick a user into clicking the malicious link and requires the site administrator to have debugging mode enabled in plugin settings.

Technologies: [Relevanssi A Better Search](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/a-better-search). Vendors: [Relevanssi](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/relevanssi).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-19985 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-19985 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-19985?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.1, published 11 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Relevanssi A Better Search up to and including 4.28.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-19985?** 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-2026-19985 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-19985?** Check whether you run Relevanssi A Better Search 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 vulnerability is a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw in the relevanssi_debug_array() function (lib/debug.php) that occurs when the debug feature is triggered via the relevanssi_debug=on request parameter. User-supplied values from the 's', 'post_types', and 'orderby' parameters are passed to print_r() and output inside a <pre> block without HTML escaping. The debug endpoint lacks authentication checks, nonce verification, or capability checks, allowing any unauthenticated attacker to trigger it. An attacker can inject arbitrary HTML/JavaScript by crafting a malicious query string; the payload executes in the victim's browser when they visit the link if the site admin has debugging enabled. The fix is available in versions after 4.28.1.

## Affected products

- Relevanssi A Better Search up to and including 4.28.1

## Timeline

- 2026-09-11: disclosed

## References

- [https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/relevanssi/tags/4.27.2/lib/debug.php](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/relevanssi/tags/4.27.2/lib/debug.php)
- [https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/relevanssi/tags/4.27.2/lib/debug.php](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/relevanssi/tags/4.27.2/lib/debug.php)