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Wp RecaptchaApplication · Blaenkdenum

CVE-2011-0759

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-03-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the configuration page in the Recaptcha (aka WP-reCAPTCHA) plugin 2.9.8.2 for WordPress allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that disable the CAPTCHA requirement or insert cross-site scripting (XSS) sequences via the (1) recaptcha_opt_pubkey, (2) recaptcha_opt_privkey, (3) re_tabindex, (4) error_blank, (5) error_incorrect, (6) mailhide_pub, (7) mailhide_priv, (8) mh_replace_link, or (9) mh_replace_title parameter.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

CSRF vulnerabilities in WP-reCAPTCHA plugin 2.9.8.2 for WordPress allow remote attackers to trick administrators into submitting malicious configuration changes. Attackers can exploit the lack of anti-CSRF tokens on the settings page to modify parameters including public/private keys, error messages, and Mailhide settings, potentially disabling CAPTCHA protection or injecting XSS payloads.

MitigationImplement WordPress nonces and CSRF token validation on all configuration form submissions; verify the referer header and use nonce verification before processing any admin settings changes.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Wp RecaptchaApplication
Affected:= 2.9.8.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify WordPress installation exists
    Confirm the target site runs WordPress by checking for wp-login.php, wp-admin/, or WordPress-specific markers in HTTP responses or file structure.
    Affected if Not applicable - this identifies the platform, not the vulnerable component.
  2. Check if WP-reCAPTCHA plugin is installed
    Look for the plugin directory 'wp-content/plugins/wp-recaptcha' or search for recaptcha-related files in the WordPress plugins folder.
    Affected if Plugin directory 'wp-recaptcha' exists in the plugins folder.
  3. Confirm plugin version is 2.9.8.2
    Read the main plugin file (typically wp-recaptcha.php or plugin header) to extract the Version field from the plugin metadata comment block.
    Affected if Version number in the plugin header equals exactly 2.9.8.2.
  4. Identify the plugin admin settings page
    Locate the PHP file handling plugin configuration, typically in the plugin directory under an admin or settings subfolder, containing form handling code for 'options.php' or similar settings endpoints.
    Affected if Settings PHP file exists and processes admin form submissions.
  5. Verify lack of CSRF protection in settings forms
    Examine the settings page PHP code for absence of wp_nonce_field(), check_admin_referer(), or any nonce verification before processing settings updates. Look for form tags that lack nonce input fields.
    Affected if Settings forms submit to processing logic that does not verify WordPress nonces or referer headers before saving configuration changes.

The environment is affected if WordPress is installed with the WP-reCAPTCHA plugin at version 2.9.8.2 and the plugin settings forms lack WordPress nonce token validation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement WordPress nonces and CSRF token validation on all configuration form submissions; verify the referer header and use nonce verification before processing any admin settings changes.

Fix this in Wp Recaptcha Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,780
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-0759 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data