PrettyphotoWordPress extension · No Margin For Error
CVE-2015-9478
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 · uneditedprettyPhoto before 3.1.6 has js/jquery.prettyPhoto.js XSS.
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 confidenceCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in prettyPhoto jQuery plugin (jquery.prettyPhoto.js) affecting versions prior to 3.1.6. The vulnerability allows injection of malicious scripts through unsanitized input processed by the lightbox functionality.
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
PrettyphotoWordPress extension
< 3.1.6CVSS 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:3.1/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate prettyPhoto JavaScript fileSearch the codebase for 'jquery.prettyPhoto.js' or 'prettyPhoto' references in JavaScript files, plugins, or vendor directoriesAffected if The file exists and is in use by the application
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Identify prettyPhoto versionOpen the jquery.prettyPhoto.js file and search for a version string (often near the top in comments or a version variable)Affected if Version is present and less than 3.1.6 (e.g., 3.1.5, 3.1.4, 3.0.x, etc.)
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Check for direct lightbox usageSearch source code for 'prettyPhoto' function calls, specifically look for where images or content are opened via prettyPhoto (e.g., $('a[rel^="prettyPhoto"]').prettyPhoto() or similar)Affected if prettyPhoto is being invoked to display content in lightbox mode
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Inspect user input flow to lightboxExamine how the prettyPhoto parameters (such as the 'href', 'title', or custom fields) are populated - check if they receive values from URL parameters, user forms, or database fields without sanitizationAffected if User-supplied data (from GET/POST parameters or database) flows directly into prettyPhoto without server-side encoding or validation
Your environment is affected if prettyPhoto version is found to be below 3.1.6 AND the lightbox functionality is actively used with user-controlled input reaching the plugin parameters.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 data3.1.6
Upgrade prettyPhoto to version 3.1.6 or later which contains the patched code, or implement server-side input validation and output encoding to sanitize user-supplied data before rendering.
Fix this in Prettyphoto
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-9478 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-9478 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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