dbcve.org
Image Hover EffectsWordPress extension · Blocksera

CVE-2021-36888

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.6.1 or later.
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
Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update vulnerability leading to full website compromise discovered in Image Hover Effects Ultimate (versions <= 9.6.1) WordPress plugin.

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 Image Hover Effects Ultimate WordPress plugin versions 9.6.1 and earlier contains an unauthenticated arbitrary options update vulnerability. Attackers can exploit this to modify WordPress options (such as site URLs, user accounts, or other settings) without authentication, potentially achieving full website compromise by creating administrative accounts or redirecting the site.

MitigationImmediately update the Image Hover Effects Ultimate plugin to a patched version if available, or remove/disable the plugin entirely until a patch can be applied. If the plugin must remain, restrict access to the affected endpoints at the web server level.

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
Image Hover EffectsWordPress extension
Affected:< 9.6.1

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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. Confirm plugin installation
    Check if the Image Hover Effects Ultimate plugin is installed by examining the WordPress plugins directory (wp-content/plugins) for a folder named 'image-hover-effects-ultimate' or checking the Plugins page in WordPress admin panel.
    Affected if The plugin folder exists in wp-content/plugins or the plugin appears in the WordPress admin Plugins list.
  2. Check installed version
    Open the main plugin file (usually image-hover-effects-ultimate/index.php or similar) and locate the plugin header comment containing 'Version: X.X.X', or check the plugin's readme.txt file for the 'Stable tag' value.
    Affected if The version number found is 9.6.1 or lower.
  3. Verify plugin is active
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and check if Image Hover Effects Ultimate is activated, or query the wp_options table for the active_plugins option.
    Affected if The plugin shows as 'Active' in WordPress or is listed in active_plugins option.
  4. Check for unauthorized option changes
    Review WordPress options in Settings > General (siteurl and home fields), and inspect the wp_users table for any unfamiliar administrative user accounts that may have been added via the vulnerability.
    Affected if Site URL differs from expected, or unknown admin accounts exist in the database.

If the Image Hover Effects Ultimate plugin is installed at version 9.6.1 or below and remains active, the environment is affected by this unauthenticated arbitrary options update vulnerability.

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 9.6.1 or later
Fixed in 9.6.1
Interim mitigation

Immediately update the Image Hover Effects Ultimate plugin to a patched version if available, or remove/disable the plugin entirely until a patch can be applied. If the plugin must remain, restrict access to the affected endpoints at the web server level.

Recommended fix High confidence

Image Hover Effects Ultimate version 9.6.1 or later

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find 'Image Hover Effects Ultimate' in the plugin list
  4. Check the current version number - if below 9.6.1, an update is required
  5. Click 'Update Now' if an update is available, or manually download version 9.6.1 or later from wordpress.org and reinstall
  6. Verify the plugin updated successfully to version 9.6.1 or later
  7. Confirm the site still functions correctly after the update

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

Fix this in Image Hover Effects Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.

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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-2021-36888 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