dbcve.org
Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2017-20251

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit 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
WordPress Insert PHP plugin versions before 3.3.1 contain a PHP code injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code by injecting malicious shortcodes through the WordPress REST API. Attackers can send POST requests to the wp-json/wp/v2/posts endpoint with crafted content containing insert_php shortcodes to include and execute remote PHP files on the server.

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 WordPress Insert PHP plugin before version 3.3.1 has an unauthenticated PHP code injection vulnerability. Attackers exploit the WordPress REST API at wp-json/wp/v2/posts by sending POST requests with crafted insert_php shortcodes that include and execute arbitrary remote PHP files on the server.

MitigationUpdate the Insert PHP plugin to version 3.3.1 or higher immediately. As a temporary measure, disable the plugin or restrict unauthenticated access to the WordPress REST API.

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

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Confirm Insert PHP plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and look for 'Insert PHP' in the list of installed plugins, or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for an 'insert-php' folder
    Affected if The plugin folder exists in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed version number
    In WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins, find Insert PHP and view the version number displayed below the plugin name. Compare to version 3.3.1
    Affected if The version shown is lower than 3.3.1 or no version is displayed (indicating outdated version)
  3. Verify REST API endpoint is accessible
    Send a GET request to /wp-json/wp/v2/posts (e.g., curl https://yourdomain.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts) and confirm the endpoint returns a valid JSON response
    Affected if The REST API endpoint responds with 200 OK and returns post data, indicating the API is publicly accessible
  4. Confirm plugin is active
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, check if the Insert PHP plugin shows as 'Active' under its status
    Affected if The plugin status is Active and the version is below 3.3.1

The environment is affected if the Insert PHP plugin is installed, active, and running at a version lower than 3.3.1 with the WordPress REST API accessible to unauthenticated users.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the Insert PHP plugin to version 3.3.1 or higher immediately. As a temporary measure, disable the plugin or restrict unauthenticated access to the WordPress REST API.

Recommended fix High confidence

Insert PHP plugin version 3.3.1 or later

  1. 1. Back up your WordPress site (database and files) before making any changes
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
  3. 3. Locate the 'Insert PHP' plugin in the list
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to install version 3.3.1 or later
  5. 5. Alternatively, manually download version 3.3.1 or latest from wordpress.org/plugins/insert-php/ and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. 6. Verify the plugin version shows 3.3.1 or higher under Plugins > Installed Plugins
  7. 7. Test that the REST API endpoint /wp-json/wp/v2/posts rejects insert_php shortcode attempts with appropriate error handling
Caveat Minor - this is a security patch; verify any custom insert_php shortcode implementations still function correctly after update

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,210
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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-2017-20251 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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