Plugins · columns-bws · data as of 2026-11-04
Is Columns by BestWebSoft safe? Known vulnerabilities and latest version
- Status
- Closed 2026-04-06
- Known issues on record
- 1
- Unpatched in latest
- 0
What to do
- Replace it. A closed plugin gets no updates through WordPress, so any hole found from now on stays open.
- Deactivate and delete it once you have a replacement (Plugins → Deactivate → Delete). Deleting removes its files; deactivating alone leaves them on the server.
- If you ran a vulnerable version and something looks off (spam pages, strange admins, redirects), run the free scan, or have us clean it: Emergency Cleanup, $499.
With WP-CLI, once you have a replacement: wp plugin deactivate columns-bws && wp plugin delete columns-bws
Check your version
Known vulnerabilities
1 on record, newest first. “Affected” is the version range the source gives; “fixed in” is the version the source names, or (marked *) the first wordpress.org release after the last affected version. 1 record(s) do not state which versions are affected.
medium 6.4 CVE-2026-3618 · published 2026-04-08
Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) in Columns by BestWebSoft (1.0.3 and older)
- Affected
- 1.0.3 and older
- Fixed in
- unknown
- Access needed (per CVSS)
- Needs a low-level account (e.g. subscriber)
- Range from
- CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Wordfence
Details from the advisory
The Columns by BestWebSoft plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'id' shortcode attribute of the [print_clmns] shortcode in all versions up to and including 1.0.3. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on the 'id' attribute. The shortcode receives the 'id' parameter via shortcode_atts() at line 596 and directly embeds it into HTML output at line 731 (in a div id attribute) and into inline CSS at lines 672-729 without any escaping or sanitization. While the SQL query uses %d to cast the value to an integer for database lookup, the original unsanitized string value of $id is still used in the HTML/CSS output. 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. The attack requires that at least one column exists in the plugin (created by an admin), as the SQL query must return results for the output branch to be reached.
Recent activity
- 2026-04-06 — closed on wordpress.org (Security Issue).
- 2026-04-08 — Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) disclosed (CVE-2026-3618), fix version not stated.
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Browse vulnerabilities
Types found in this plugin: Cross-site scripting (XSS) (1)
Where this data comes from
- Version, last update, installs, closure: wordpress.org/plugins/columns-bws (Plugins API), fetched 2026-11-04.
- Vulnerabilities: NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD), checked 2026-11-04. This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- Each record links to its CVE page and to the original advisory (Wordfence, Patchstack or WPScan) where there is one. We only list a CVE here when its references or its advisory name this exact plugin, so a few real issues may be missing; none should be about a different plugin. Spot an error? Email Daniel.
Badge for your site or docs (states facts with a date, not a verdict):
<a href="https://laskyr.com/plugins/columns-bws"><img src="https://laskyr.com/plugins/columns-bws/badge.svg" alt="Columns by BestWebSoft vulnerability status"></a>