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AI Engine - Security Vulnerability (CVE-2026-16954)

CVE-2026-16954

The AI Engine WordPress plugin before 3.6.4 does not redact secret configuration values before exposing them in an admin page's inline script data, allowing users with the Editor role to read the site's stored third-party API key and authentication tokens in cleartext, despite those secrets being restricted to administrators everywhere else.

CVE-2026-16954

MEDIUM CVSS 6.5 Published 2026-08-06 Updated 2026-08-26
AI Risk Elevated (56/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P3 Priority
Severity Band MEDIUM
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Affected Components 1
Reference Links 1
AI Risk Engine Elevated (56/100)
Exploitability Medium
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2026-08-06 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2026-08-26 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-08-06 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 97 days ago

AI enriched 97 days ago (2026-08-06 22:03 UTC)

Technical Summary

The AI Engine WordPress plugin before 3.6.4 does not redact secret configuration values before exposing them in an admin page's inline script data, allowing users with the Editor role to read the site's stored third-party API key and authentication tokens in cleartext, despite those secrets being restricted to administrators everywhere else.

Potential Impact

Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 6.5). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as Medium based on severity and technical exposure profile.

Primary risk drivers: severity and technical exposure profile

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

AI risk score 56/100 (Elevated, Medium) with priority P3 Priority. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

AI Engine PLUGIN · ai-engine Affected: < 3.6.4 Fixed in: 3.6.4

References

What to do about this

Patch on your next cycle Worth fixing, but not ahead of other work.

Fix it

Update AI Engine to 3.6.4 or later.

That is the complete fix. Everything below is what protects you in the meantime.

No Hack Halt control meaningfully contains this one — updating is the remedy. We would rather say so than sell you something that will not help.

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Not sure if you are affected?

Scan your site to see whether it runs AI Engine, and at which version.

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Am I affected by this vulnerability?

You are affected if your site runs AI Engine. Versions below 3.6.4 are vulnerable; that release and later are not.

How do I fix it?

Update AI Engine to version 3.6.4 or later. That is the complete fix.