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Simple Download MonitorWordPress extension · Tipsandtricks Hq

CVE-2020-5650

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.8.8 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in Simple Download Monitor 3.8.8 and earlier allows remote attackers to inject an arbitrary script via unspecified vectors.

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

A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in Simple Download Monitor plugin versions 3.8.8 and earlier for WordPress. Remote attackers can inject arbitrary JavaScript code through unspecified vectors, likely in download-related fields such as file names, descriptions, or other user-supplied input that gets stored and rendered without proper sanitization.

MitigationUpgrade Simple Download Monitor to version 3.8.9 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, implement input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied fields, and consider deploying a Web Application Firewall to mitigate exploitation.

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
Simple Download MonitorWordPress extension
Affected:<= 3.8.8

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
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Simple Download Monitor plugin is installed
    Access WordPress admin dashboard, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, and look for 'Simple Download Monitor' in the list. Alternatively, check the wp-content/plugins folder for a folder named 'simple-download-monitor' or use WP-CLI: wp plugin list --name=simple-download-monitor
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active on the WordPress site
  2. Determine the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, click on the plugin to view its details and locate the version number. With WP-CLI, run: wp plugin get simple-download-monitor --field=version. If accessing files directly, check the main plugin PHP file (e.g., simple-download-monitor.php) for the 'Version' header in the plugin comment block
    Affected if The installed version is 3.8.8 or lower (any version <= 3.8.8)
  3. Identify the custom post type used by the plugin
    Query the WordPress database for post types created by the plugin. Run: SELECT DISTINCT post_type FROM wp_posts; Look for a post type related to downloads (commonly 'sdm_downloads' or similar). Check the wp_posts table for entries where post_type contains 'download' or 'sdm'
    Affected if A custom post type for downloads exists in the database (indicating the plugin functionality is in use)
  4. Inspect download entries for suspicious stored content
    Query the downloads post type for any stored JavaScript or HTML in title/content fields. Run: SELECT ID, post_title, post_content, post_type FROM wp_posts WHERE post_type='sdm_downloads' AND (post_content LIKE '%<script%' OR post_title LIKE '%<script%' OR post_content LIKE '%onerror=%' OR post_title LIKE '%javascript:%' OR post_content LIKE '%onload=%'); Review the results manually for any unexpected scripts or event handlers
    Affected if Any download entries contain script tags, javascript: URIs, or event handlers like onerror/onload in their title or content fields

A site is affected if Simple Download Monitor version 3.8.8 or lower is installed AND the plugin's download post type contains entries with unsanitized JavaScript or HTML in title or description fields.

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 3.8.8
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Simple Download Monitor to version 3.8.9 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, implement input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied fields, and consider deploying a Web Application Firewall to mitigate exploitation.

Fix this in Simple Download Monitor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,464.

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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-2020-5650 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