CVE-2026-3075: 
WordPress vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-3075 is a Sensitive Data Exposure vulnerability in the WordPress plugin Simple Ajax Chat by Jeff Starr, classified under CWE-497 (Exposure of Sensitive System Information to an Unauthorized Control Sphere). It affects all versions of the plugin up to and including version 20251121, and was patched in version 20260217. The vulnerability was reported by researcher Jakub Herman on January 18, 2026, and publicly disclosed on February 17–23, 2026. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (Medium) (Patchstack).

The vulnerability is rooted in improper exposure of sensitive system information to unauthorized parties (CWE-497), mapped to CAPEC-170 (Web Application Fingerprinting). An unauthenticated remote attacker can retrieve embedded sensitive data from the plugin without any authentication or user interaction, exploiting the plugin's failure to restrict access to internal system information. Notably, Patchstack clarifies that this vulnerability does not affect sites running the Apache web server — only those using alternative web servers such as nginx or IIS are impacted (Patchstack).

Successful exploitation allows an unauthenticated attacker to view sensitive information that is normally restricted from regular users, with a low confidentiality impact and no integrity or availability impact. The exposed data could be leveraged to identify further weaknesses in the target system or facilitate more targeted attacks. The scope is limited to the affected WordPress installation, but the information disclosure could assist in reconnaissance or chaining with other vulnerabilities (Patchstack).

No public proof-of-concept exploit code or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported for this vulnerability. The EPSS score is very low at approximately 0.018%, indicating a low probability of exploitation in the near term. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Patchstack notes that while vulnerabilities of this class are sometimes used in mass-exploit campaigns targeting WordPress sites at scale, this specific issue is assessed as low priority and unlikely to be actively exploited (Patchstack).

The vendor released a patched version of Simple Ajax Chat on February 17, 2026 — update to version 20260217 or later to remediate the vulnerability. Sites running the Apache web server are not affected and do not require immediate action, but upgrading is still recommended as best practice. Administrators unable to update immediately should consult their hosting provider or web developer. Patchstack users can enable auto-update for vulnerable plugins to automate remediation (Patchstack).

Patchstack, which coordinated disclosure, assessed this vulnerability as low priority with no impactful threat, noting the limited server scope (nginx/IIS only) and low likelihood of exploitation. No significant broader media coverage or notable researcher commentary beyond the initial disclosure has been identified (Patchstack).