WordPressCMS
CVE-2020-11026
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 · uneditedIn affected versions of WordPress, files with a specially crafted name when uploaded to the Media section can lead to script execution upon accessing the file. This requires an authenticated user with privileges to upload files. This has been patched in version 5.4.1, along with all the previously affected versions via a minor release (5.3.3, 5.2.6, 5.1.5, 5.0.9, 4.9.14, 4.8.13, 4.7.17, 4.6.18, 4.5.21, 4.4.22, 4.3.23, 4.2.27, 4.1.30, 4.0.30, 3.9.31, 3.8.33, 3.7.33).
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 confidenceIn WordPress, an authenticated user with media upload privileges can upload files with specially crafted filenames that bypass sanitization, leading to script execution when the file is accessed. This is a filename-based XSS or potentially remote code execution vulnerability in the Media library.
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
WordPressCMS
>= 3.7, < 3.7.33>= 3.8, < 3.8.33>= 3.9, < 3.9.31>= 4.0, < 4.0.30>= 4.1, < 4.1.30>= 4.2, < 4.2.27>= 4.3, < 4.3.23>= 4.4, < 4.4.22>= 4.5, < 4.5.21>= 4.6, < 4.6.18>= 4.7, < 4.7.17>= 4.8, < 4.8.13
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 8.0= 9.0= 10.0CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify WordPress installationCheck the site's footer or access wp-admin/ about.php, or look for wp-includes/version.php for the $wp_version variableAffected if WordPress is installed and the version falls within the affected ranges (3.7 to 4.8.x before patches)
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Determine installed WordPress versionRead the version number from wp-includes/version.php or the dashboard (Dashboard > Updates)Affected if The version is >= 3.7 and < 3.7.33, or >= 3.8 and < 3.8.33, or >= 3.9 and < 3.9.31, or >= 4.0 and < 4.0.30, or >= 4.1 and < 4.1.30, or >= 4.2 and < 4.2.27, or >= 4.3 and < 4.3.23, or >= 4.4 and < 4.4.22, or >= 4.5 and < 4.5.21, or >= 4.6 and < 4.6.18, or >= 4.7 and < 4.7.17, or >= 4.8 and < 4.8.13
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Check for users with media upload capabilityIn wp-admin, go to Users > All Users and review roles. Editors, Authors, and Contributors have media upload privileges. Alternatively, query the wp_usermeta table for capabilities containing 'upload_files'Affected if Any user account exists with the ability to upload media files (Contributor, Author, Editor, or custom role with upload_files capability)
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Inspect media library for suspicious filenamesNavigate to Media > Library in wp-admin. Look for filenames containing HTML/script tags, .php extensions, or unusual characters such as < > " ' and javascript: patterns. Check the file URL when viewing the attachmentAffected if Files with names containing unescaped HTML, script tags, or javascript: prefixes are present in the media library
Your environment is affected if WordPress version is below the patched releases AND any user with media upload privileges has uploaded files with specially crafted filenames containing script tags or HTML markup.
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 data3.7.333.8.333.9.31
Upgrade WordPress to version 5.4.1 or the appropriate patched version for the installed branch (e.g., 5.3.3, 5.2.6, etc.). If immediate patching is not possible, restrict or carefully audit media upload permissions.
Fix this in WordPress
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-11026 — 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-2020-11026 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