Improper access control in WordPress - CVE-2019-20043
Published: December 13, 2019 / Updated: January 8, 2020
Vulnerability identifier: #VU23574
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4: 5.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2019-20043
CWE-ID: CWE-284
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to gain unauthorized access to otherwise restricted functionality.
The vulnerability exists due to improper access restrictions in wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-posts-controller.php. A remote authenticated attacker can bypass implemented security restrictions and make a post sticky via the REST API.
Affected software
WordPress
wordpress (Debian package)
wordpress (Debian package)
How to mitigate CVE-2019-20043
Install updates from vendor's website.
WordPress - addressed in versions 4.5.20, 4.6.17, 4.7.16, 4.8.12, 4.9.13, 5.0.8, 5.1.4, 5.2.5, 5.3.1
wordpress (Debian package) - addressed in versions 4.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u6, 5.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u1, 5.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u2, 5.4.1+dfsg1-1
wordpress (Debian package) - addressed in versions 4.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u6, 5.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u1, 5.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u2, 5.4.1+dfsg1-1