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Elementor Page BuilderWordPress extension · Elementor

CVE-2020-13126

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-05-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.9.4 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
An issue was discovered in the Elementor Pro plugin before 2.9.4 for WordPress, as exploited in the wild in May 2020 in conjunction with CVE-2020-13125. An attacker with the Subscriber role can upload arbitrary executable files to achieve remote code execution. NOTE: the free Elementor plugin is unaffected.

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 Elementor Pro plugin before version 2.9.4 contains a broken access control vulnerability allowing users with Subscriber role to upload arbitrary executable files, leading to remote code execution. This was actively exploited in the wild in May 2020 in combination with CVE-2020-13125.

MitigationImmediately update Elementor Pro to version 2.9.4 or later. Review WordPress user roles and remove unnecessary Subscriber accounts if not needed, as this role had elevated upload capabilities in the vulnerable version.

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
Elementor Page BuilderWordPress extension
Affected:< 2.9.4

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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. Check Elementor Pro version
    Navigate to WordPress dashboard > Plugins > Elementor Pro, or check the plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/elementor-pro/elementor-pro.php for the 'Version' constant
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 2.9.4
  2. Verify WordPress user roles exist
    Go to WordPress dashboard > Users > Users List and review the roles assigned to each account, or query the wp_usermeta table for role assignments
    Affected if Any user account has the Subscriber role assigned
  3. Check Subscriber role upload capabilities
    Review the Subscriber role capabilities by accessing Users > User Roles in WordPress admin, or inspect wp_options for the wp_user_roles entry. Look for upload_files capability granted to Subscriber role
    Affected if The Subscriber role has upload_files or similar elevated capabilities enabled
  4. Inspect uploaded files directory
    Check the wp-content/uploads directory for any PHP files, executable scripts, or unfamiliar file types that were uploaded outside the standard media library workflow
    Affected if Unexpected executable files exist in the uploads directory, especially in subdirectories with dates matching May 2020 or later
  5. Review for unauthorized admin accounts
    Query the wp_users and wp_usermeta tables, or check the WordPress Users admin panel, for any admin-level accounts you did not create
    Affected if Unexpected administrator accounts exist in the WordPress installation

A user is affected if Elementor Pro version is below 2.9.4 AND the WordPress Subscriber role is active with elevated upload capabilities, or if signs of unauthorized access are present.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.9.4 or later
Fixed in 2.9.4
Interim mitigation

Immediately update Elementor Pro to version 2.9.4 or later. Review WordPress user roles and remove unnecessary Subscriber accounts if not needed, as this role had elevated upload capabilities in the vulnerable version.

Recommended fix High confidence

Elementor Pro 2.9.4 or later

  1. 1. Create a full backup of your WordPress site (database and files) before making any changes
  2. 2. Navigate to your WordPress admin dashboard
  3. 3. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  4. 4. Find Elementor Pro in the plugin list
  5. 5. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to version 2.9.4 or later
  6. 6. Alternatively, go to Dashboard > Updates and apply available updates
  7. 7. After updating, verify the installed version by checking Plugins > Installed Plugins > Elementor Pro
  8. 8. Confirm the version number is 2.9.4 or higher

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

Fix this in Elementor Page Builder 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.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2020-13126 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