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Easy Digital DownloadsWordPress extension · Awesomemotive

CVE-2015-9521

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-10-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.8.7 / 1.9.10 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 Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) Pushover Notifications extension for WordPress, as used with EDD 1.8.x before 1.8.7, 1.9.x before 1.9.10, 2.0.x before 2.0.5, 2.1.x before 2.1.11, 2.2.x before 2.2.9, and 2.3.x before 2.3.7, has XSS because add_query_arg is misused.

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 Easy Digital Downloads Pushover Notifications extension for WordPress contains a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability due to misuse of the WordPress add_query_arg function. This function, when used without proper output escaping, allows attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted URL parameters. The vulnerability affects specific EDD versions (1.8.x before 1.8.7 through 2.3.x before 2.3.7).

MitigationUpdate the Easy Digital Downloads Pushover Notifications extension to a patched version (1.8.7+, 1.9.10+, 2.0.5+, 2.1.11+, 2.2.9+, or 2.3.7+) or remove the extension if not needed. Ensure all URL parameters are properly escaped when using add_query_arg in custom code.

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
Easy Digital DownloadsWordPress extension
Affected:>= 1.8, < 1.8.7>= 1.9, < 1.9.10>= 2.0, < 2.0.5>= 2.1, < 2.1.11>= 2.2, < 2.2.9>= 2.3, < 2.3.7
Pushover NotificationsApplication
Affected:all versions

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:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Verify Pushover Notifications extension is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Easy Digital Downloads - Pushover Notifications' or check the wp-content/plugins/edd-pushover directory exists
    Affected if The extension is installed and active, making the vulnerable code present in the environment
  2. Check Easy Digital Downloads core version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and find the Easy Digital Downloads version, or inspect the main EDD plugin file header
    Affected if The installed EDD version falls within any of these vulnerable ranges: >= 1.8 and < 1.8.7; >= 1.9 and < 1.9.10; >= 2.0 and < 2.0.5; >= 2.1 and < 2.1.11; >= 2.2 and < 2.9; or >= 2.3 and < 2.3.7
  3. Identify the add_query_arg usage in Pushover extension
    Search the edd-pushover plugin files for 'add_query_arg' function calls and verify if output escaping (esc_url, esc_attr, or similar) is missing on the returned value
    Affected if add_query_arg is used without proper escaping functions on output, confirming the XSS vulnerability is present in the code
  4. Confirm extension is actively processing URL parameters
    Check if the Pushover extension has any admin notices, settings pages, or frontend hooks that process query string parameters using add_query_arg
    Affected if The extension processes URL parameters in a way that could reflect unsanitized input back to the user

You are affected if the Pushover Notifications extension is installed alongside any Easy Digital Downloads version within the vulnerable ranges, with unsanitized add_query_arg usage present in the extension code.

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 1.8.7 / 1.9.10 / 2.0.5 or later
Fixed in 1.8.71.9.102.0.5
Interim mitigation

Update the Easy Digital Downloads Pushover Notifications extension to a patched version (1.8.7+, 1.9.10+, 2.0.5+, 2.1.11+, 2.2.9+, or 2.3.7+) or remove the extension if not needed. Ensure all URL parameters are properly escaped when using add_query_arg in custom code.

Fix this in Easy Digital Downloads Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

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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-2015-9521 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