dbcve.org
Download MonitorWordPress extension · Never5

CVE-2015-9296

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-08-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.7.1 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
The download-monitor plugin before 1.7.1 for WordPress has XSS related to add_query_arg.

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

The download-monitor WordPress plugin before version 1.7.1 contains a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability stemming from improper use of the WordPress add_query_arg function. This function builds URLs with query parameters but does not automatically escape output, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted URLs.

MitigationUpdate the download-monitor plugin to version 1.7.1 or later to apply the patch that properly sanitizes output from add_query_arg.

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
Download MonitorWordPress extension
Affected:< 1.7.1

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
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

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 Download Monitor plugin is installed
    Check the WordPress plugins directory for the download-monitor folder, or view the installed plugins in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins
    Affected if The plugin folder exists and the plugin appears in the WordPress plugins list
  2. Check the installed plugin version
    Locate the plugin header in the main download-monitor PHP file (commonly download-monitor.php) or inspect the readme.txt file in the plugin directory to find the Version field
    Affected if The version number is present and less than 1.7.1
  3. Identify the vulnerable code pattern
    Search the plugin source files for the add_query_arg function call without corresponding esc_url, esc_attr, or sanitize_text_field functions applied to the output
    Affected if Code uses add_query_arg followed by output without proper escaping functions like esc_url() or esc_attr()
  4. Verify the plugin is active
    Check the WordPress database wp_options table for the active_plugins option, or confirm via the Plugins admin page that Download Monitor is activated
    Affected if The plugin is currently active on the WordPress site

If the Download Monitor plugin is installed, active, and its version is below 1.7.1, the environment is affected by this XSS vulnerability.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.7.1 or later
Fixed in 1.7.1
Interim mitigation

Update the download-monitor plugin to version 1.7.1 or later to apply the patch that properly sanitizes output from add_query_arg.

Fix this in Download Monitor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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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-2015-9296 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