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Related PostWordPress extension · Pickplugins

CVE-2023-51666

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.0.53 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in PickPlugins Related Post allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Related Post: from n/a through 2.0.53.

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

Stored Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the PickPlugins Related Post WordPress plugin allows authenticated attackers to inject malicious JavaScript through unsanitized input fields in the related post functionality. When other users view pages displaying the affected content, the injected script executes in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking or credential theft.

MitigationUpdate the PickPlugins Related Post plugin to the latest version which should contain proper input sanitization and output encoding. If no patch is available, implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules or disable the plugin until a fix is released.

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
Related PostWordPress extension
Affected:<= 2.0.53

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
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 checks

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

  1. Verify PickPlugins Related Post plugin is installed
    Check WordPress plugin directory for 'pickplugins-related-post' folder in /wp-content/plugins/ or view installed plugins list in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins
    Affected if Plugin folder exists in the plugins directory or appears in the WordPress plugins list
  2. Check installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, find PickPlugins Related Post and note the version number. Alternatively, check the main plugin PHP file header in /wp-content/plugins/pickplugins-related-post/ for the Version field
    Affected if Version number is 2.0.53 or lower
  3. Confirm related post functionality is in use
    Navigate to plugin settings in WordPress admin (usually under Settings or a dedicated PickPlugins menu) and check if related posts are enabled to display on posts or pages
    Affected if Related post feature is enabled and configured to display on the site
  4. Check for existing related post entries
    Review post editor settings or plugin configuration where related post content/keywords are defined - the vulnerability allows injection through unsanitized input fields in these settings
    Affected if Any related post configuration entries exist in the affected plugin version

If the plugin is installed with version 2.0.53 or lower and the related post feature is enabled, the environment is affected by this stored XSS 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 a release after 2.0.53
Interim mitigation

Update the PickPlugins Related Post plugin to the latest version which should contain proper input sanitization and output encoding. If no patch is available, implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules or disable the plugin until a fix is released.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

2.0.54

  1. Back up your WordPress site before making any changes
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
  3. Find the 'Related Post' plugin by PickPlugins
  4. Update the plugin to version 2.0.54 or later
  5. Verify the update was successful by checking the plugin version
  6. Clear any caching mechanisms if the site uses caching

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

Fix this in Related Post Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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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-2023-51666 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