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TablepressWordPress extension

CVE-2019-20180

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-01-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.9.2 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 TablePress plugin 1.9.2 for WordPress allows tablepress[data] CSV injection by Editor users. Note: The vendor disputes this issue and argues that this responsibility lies with the application that opens the CSV file and not TablePress.

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 · moderate confidence

The TablePress WordPress plugin versions 1.9.2 and earlier allow CSV injection (formula injection) via the tablepress[data] parameter. Editor-level users can inject spreadsheet formula characters (=, +, -, @) into table data that, when exported as CSV and opened in spreadsheet applications like Excel or LibreOffice Calc, can execute arbitrary commands or cause data exfiltration. This is a well-known CSV injection attack vector where malicious formulas are embedded in data fields.

MitigationImplement input sanitization to escape or strip formula-initiating characters (=, +, -, @, tab, carriage return) from user-supplied table data at both import and export stages. Consider applying the same validation at CSV export time as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
TablepressWordPress extension
Affected:<= 1.9.2

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
High
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/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. Identify installed TablePress version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and find TablePress. The version number is displayed under the plugin name. Alternatively, check the version in the plugin's main PHP file header comment (usually tablepress.php).
    Affected if The installed version is 1.9.2 or lower, matching the <= 1.9.2 affected range.
  2. Verify Editor-level user accounts exist
    Navigate to Users > All Users in WordPress admin. Review the Role column for any users assigned the Editor role. Editor-level or higher privileges are required to exploit this vulnerability.
    Affected if There are users with Editor-level or higher privileges (Administrator, Editor) who have access to TablePress table editing.
  3. Confirm CSV import/export functionality is accessible
    In WordPress admin, go to TablePress > Import and TablePress > Export menu items. Check if these features are available and functional for the affected user roles.
    Affected if CSV import or export features are enabled and accessible to Editor-level users, allowing malicious data to be injected and later exported.
  4. Inspect table data for formula injection characters
    In TablePress, list all tables and examine the table content for cells containing characters that initiate formulas: = (equals), + (plus), - (minus), @ (at symbol), or tab characters at the beginning of data values.
    Affected if Any table contains data fields starting with =, +, -, @, or similar formula-initiating characters, indicating potential exploitation.

You are affected if TablePress version is 1.9.2 or lower AND Editor-level users can access CSV export functionality, allowing formula characters in table data to be exported and executed when opened in spreadsheet applications.

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 a release after 1.9.2
Interim mitigation

Implement input sanitization to escape or strip formula-initiating characters (=, +, -, @, tab, carriage return) from user-supplied table data at both import and export stages. Consider applying the same validation at CSV export time as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Tablepress Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2019-20180 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