Is CVE-2026-8181 being exploited in the wild?

It is exploited in the wild, listed in Industry KEV feed since May 14, 2026.

Is CVE-2026-8181 in the CISA KEV catalog?

No, it is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Is there a public exploit for CVE-2026-8181?

No public exploit code is known.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-8181?

Fixed versions are available, including burst-statistics 3.4.2.

How urgently should CVE-2026-8181 be patched?

Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

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Vulnerability Intelligence

CVE-2026-8181

CriticalExploited

Burst Statistics 3.4.0 - 3.4.1.1 - Authentication Bypass to Admin Account Takeover

Published May 15, 2026 · Updated May 14, 2026 · Also known as 8ca830d6-3d3c-4026-85cd-8447b8a568d3

Key Facts

Patch immediately

CVE-2026-8181 is a critical-severity vulnerability (CVSS 9.8 v3.1) affecting burst-statistics (wordpress-plugin), Burst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative).
It is exploited in the wild, listed in Industry KEV feed since May 14, 2026. No public exploit code is known.
EPSS estimates a 3.0% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
Fixed versions are available, including burst-statistics 3.4.2.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

CVSS v3.1

9.8

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)

3.0%

Higher than 87.2% of all scored CVEs

Exploited in the wild

Yes

1 catalog listing

Public exploit code

None known

Get the full CVE-2026-8181 brief as a PDF

Every affected product and fixed release, exploitation status and a first 24 hours response checklist, emailed within minutes.

Description

The Burst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in versions 3.4.0 to 3.4.1.1. This is due to incorrect return-value handling in the is_mainwp_authenticated() function when validating application passwords from the Authorization header. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers, with knowledge of an administrator username, to impersonate that administrator for the duration of the request by supplying any random Basic Authentication password achieving privilege escalation.

Known-Exploited Catalog Listings

Catalog	Added	Remediation due	Ransomware use
Industry KEV feed	May 14, 2026	n/a	Not reported

Required action: Apply remediations or mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if remediation or mitigations are unavailable.

Affected Products

2 affected entries in total

Product	Affected versions	Fixed in
burst-statisticswordpress-plugin	>= 3.4.0	3.4.2
Burst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative)	>= 3.4.0	n/a

Patched Releases

burst-statistics

3.4.2

Timeline

Added to Industry KEV feed
May 14, 2026
Last updated
May 14, 2026
Publicly disclosed
May 15, 2026

Weakness Type

CWE-287 Improper Authentication

References

11 more references in the full CVE brief

FAQ

Common Questions.

The Burst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Authentication Bypass in versions 3.4.0 to 3.4.1.1.
Affected: burst-statistics (wordpress-plugin) versions >= 3.4.0; Burst Statistics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) versions >= 3.4.0. The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is exploited in the wild, listed in Industry KEV feed since May 14, 2026.
No, it is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
No public exploit code is known.
Fixed versions are available, including burst-statistics 3.4.2.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

Is CVE-2026-8181 Running On Your Attack Surface?

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