dbcve.org
Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2024-11733

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
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
The The WordPress Popular Posts plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in all versions up to, and including, 7.1.0. This is due to the software allowing users to execute an action that does not properly validate a value before running do_shortcode. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes.

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 WordPress Popular Posts plugin up to version 7.1.0 fails to properly validate a user-supplied value before passing it to WordPress's do_shortcode() function, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary registered shortcodes. This shortcode injection can lead to various attacks depending on what shortcodes are available on the affected site.

MitigationUpdate the WordPress Popular Posts plugin to version 7.1.1 or later. If an update is unavailable, consider temporarily disabling the plugin until a patch is released.

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
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

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 WordPress Popular Posts plugin is installed
    Log in to WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, and look for 'WordPress Popular Posts' in the list
    Affected if The plugin is not installed or not active
  2. Check the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, find WordPress Popular Posts, and note the version number displayed
    Affected if The version is 7.1.0 or lower (the vulnerability exists up to 7.1.0)
  3. Verify shortcode processing is accessible
    Check if the plugin exposes any public-facing shortcode, widget, or endpoint that processes user-supplied input. Common locations: check the plugin settings page for public shortcode usage, review theme templates for [word_popular_posts] shortcode placement, or test if query parameters like 'wpp' or 'popular_posts' are processed
    Affected if A publicly accessible feature processes user input through the plugin's shortcode functionality
  4. Identify registered shortcodes that could be exploited
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Plugin Editor, or use a search function to find files containing 'add_shortcode'. Review what shortcodes are registered on the site, particularly any that perform sensitive operations
    Affected if Shortcodes that execute sensitive functions (like user data retrieval, content insertion, or administrative actions) are registered and accessible to unauthenticated users

The environment is affected if WordPress Popular Posts plugin version 7.1.0 or lower is active AND the plugin processes user-supplied input through its shortcode functionality on a publicly accessible page or endpoint

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

Update the WordPress Popular Posts plugin to version 7.1.1 or later. If an update is unavailable, consider temporarily disabling the plugin until a patch is released.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

WordPress Popular Posts 7.1.1 or later (check wordpress.org for latest stable release)

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Find 'WordPress Popular Posts' in the plugin list
  4. 4. Check the current version installed
  5. 5. If the installed version is 7.1.0 or earlier, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest version
  6. 6. Alternatively, download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-popular-posts/ and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the new version in Plugins > Installed Plugins

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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-2024-11733 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