dbcve.org
Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2020-36875

CRITICAL · 9.3 CVSS v4.0 Published 2026-01-09
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
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
AccessAlly WordPress plugin versions prior to 3.3.2 contain an unauthenticated arbitrary PHP code execution vulnerability in the Login Widget. The plugin processes the login_error parameter as PHP code, allowing an attacker to supply and execute arbitrary PHP in the context of the WordPress web server process, resulting in remote code execution.

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 AccessAlly WordPress plugin versions before 3.3.2 contain an unauthenticated arbitrary PHP code execution vulnerability in the Login Widget. The plugin improperly processes the login_error parameter by evaluating it as PHP code, allowing attackers to inject and execute arbitrary PHP code directly on the web server, resulting in full remote code execution without authentication.

MitigationImmediately update AccessAlly plugin to version 3.3.2 or later to patch the PHP code injection vulnerability. Since this allows unauthenticated RCE, consider reviewing server access logs for indicators of compromise and restoring from a known-good backup if exploitation is suspected.

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
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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 AccessAlly plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins and locate AccessAlly in the installed plugins list, or inspect the plugin directory /wp-content/plugins/accessally/ for the existence of plugin files
    Affected if AccessAlly plugin files are present on the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed AccessAlly version
    In WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins, click on AccessAlly to view the version number displayed in the plugin details, or read the main plugin file header for the Version field
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 3.3.2 (any version 3.3.1, 3.3.0, 3.2.x, etc.)
  3. Verify Login Widget feature is active
    Navigate to AccessAlly settings in WordPress admin and check if the Login Widget component is enabled, or inspect the site frontend for a login widget rendered by the plugin
    Affected if The Login Widget feature is enabled and accessible on the site (the vulnerable component)
  4. Inspect logs for login_error exploitation attempts
    Review web server access logs (Apache error.log, Nginx access.log) or WordPress debug logs for unusual login_error parameter values containing PHP code patterns such as '<?php', 'eval(', 'system(', 'shell_exec(', or base64-encoded strings
    Affected if Suspicious login_error parameters containing PHP code constructs are found in server logs

You are affected if AccessAlly plugin versions before 3.3.2 are installed with the Login Widget feature enabled, as this configuration allows unauthenticated attackers to inject and execute arbitrary PHP code.

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

Immediately update AccessAlly plugin to version 3.3.2 or later to patch the PHP code injection vulnerability. Since this allows unauthenticated RCE, consider reviewing server access logs for indicators of compromise and restoring from a known-good backup if exploitation is suspected.

Recommended fix High confidence

AccessAlly plugin version 3.3.2 or later

  1. Log in to WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find AccessAlly in the plugin list
  4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to version 3.3.2 or later
  5. Alternatively, use WP-CLI: wp plugin update accessally
  6. Verify the plugin version is now 3.3.2 or higher under Plugins > Installed Plugins
  7. Review site for any signs of compromise (unauthorized users, suspicious files)

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

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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-2020-36875 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
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