Search ExcludeWordPress extension · Search Exclude Project
CVE-2019-15895
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 · uneditedsearch-exclude.php in the "Search Exclude" plugin before 1.2.4 for WordPress allows unauthenticated options changes.
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 confidenceThe Search Exclude WordPress plugin before version 1.2.4 contains an authorization bypass vulnerability in search-exclude.php that allows unauthenticated attackers to modify plugin settings via the WordPress options API. This high-severity (CVSS 7.5) issue stems from missing capability checks on an AJAX action handler, enabling any remote attacker to alter plugin options without authentication.
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
Search ExcludeWordPress extension
< 1.2.4CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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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Verify Search Exclude plugin is installedCheck for the presence of the plugin in wp-content/plugins/ directory - look for a folder named 'search-exclude' or check via WordPress admin plugins pageAffected if Plugin folder exists in the WordPress plugins directory
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Identify installed plugin versionOpen search-exclude.php in the plugin folder and locate the version comment/header (typically at the top of the file with 'Version: x.x.x' or check the plugin main file for a version constantAffected if Version number found is lower than 1.2.4
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Inspect AJAX handler in search-exclude.phpOpen search-exclude.php and search for add_action('wp_ajax_') calls - examine the callback function for missing current_user_can() or capability checks before processing optionsAffected if AJAX action handler lacks capability verification (no current_user_can() call before processing request)
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Check WordPress options API exposureLook for calls to update_option() or similar WordPress options functions within AJAX handlers that accept user input without validationAffected if Plugin processes and saves options via AJAX without authenticating the request
If the Search Exclude plugin is installed with a version below 1.2.4 and the plugin's AJAX handlers lack capability checks, the environment is affected by this authorization bypass vulnerability.
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 data1.2.4
Upgrade the Search Exclude plugin to version 1.2.4 or later to apply the vendor patch. If immediate upgrade is not possible, consider disabling the plugin or implementing firewall rules to restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint.
Fix this in Search Exclude
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-15895 — 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-2019-15895 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