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OptinmonsterWordPress extension

CVE-2016-10996

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-09-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.1.4.6 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The optinmonster plugin before 1.1.4.6 for WordPress has incorrect access control for shortcodes because of a nonce leak.

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 OptinMonster WordPress plugin before version 1.1.4.6 contains an incorrect access control vulnerability in its shortcode functionality due to a leaked security nonce. This allows unauthorized users to potentially bypass authentication checks and execute shortcode-related actions they should not have access to.

MitigationUpdate OptinMonster plugin to version 1.1.4.6 or later to patch the nonce leak and implement proper access control validation for shortcode execution.

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
OptinmonsterWordPress extension
Affected:< 1.1.4.6

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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. Check OptinMonster plugin version
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins > locate OptinMonster plugin and read the version number displayed beneath the plugin name
    Affected if The displayed version number is less than 1.1.4.6 (for example, 1.1.4.5, 1.1.4, 1.1.3, or any version number starting with a value lower than 1.1.4.6)
  2. Verify shortcode functionality is active
    Search your WordPress posts, pages, or widget content for the [optinmonster] shortcode by using the WordPress editor search or database query
    Affected if The shortcode [optinmonster] or similar OptinMonster shortcodes are present and active on the site, making the nonce leak exploitable
  3. Confirm plugin file structure
    Access the WordPress wp-content/plugins directory via FTP or file manager, locate the optinmonster folder, and examine the main plugin file (typically optinmonster.php or similar) for the version declaration
    Affected if The version declared in the plugin header is below 1.1.4.6, confirming the vulnerable version is installed

Your environment is affected if the OptinMonster plugin version installed is less than 1.1.4.6 and the shortcode functionality is actively used on the site.

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 1.1.4.6 or later
Fixed in 1.1.4.6
Interim mitigation

Update OptinMonster plugin to version 1.1.4.6 or later to patch the nonce leak and implement proper access control validation for shortcode execution.

Fix this in Optinmonster Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

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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-2016-10996 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