CVE-2024-12417
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 · uneditedThe The Simple Link Directory plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in all versions up to, and including, 8.4.5. 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 confidenceThe Simple Link Directory WordPress plugin up to version 8.4.5 fails to properly validate a value before passing it to the do_shortcode() function. This allows unauthenticated attackers to inject and execute arbitrary shortcodes, potentially leading to content injection, privilege escalation, or further exploitation depending on what shortcodes are available on the site.
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
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Simple Link Directory plugin is installedCheck the WordPress plugins directory or access wp-admin > Plugins to confirm the Simple Link Directory plugin is presentAffected if plugin is installed and active
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Check installed plugin versionView the plugin details in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins, or inspect the plugin's main PHP file for the 'Version' header commentAffected if version is 8.4.5 or lower (any version up to and including 8.4.5)
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Confirm plugin is activeVerify the plugin status shows as 'Active' in the WordPress admin plugins listAffected if plugin is active and enabled on the site
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Identify vulnerable shortcode endpointReview plugin code for functions that call do_shortcode() with user-supplied input; the vulnerability lies in improper validation before this callAffected if the plugin processes shortcode-related requests without proper sanitization of the input passed to do_shortcode()
The site is affected if the Simple Link Directory plugin versions 8.4.5 or below are installed and active, allowing unauthenticated shortcode injection through the vulnerable parameter.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpdate the plugin to version 8.4.6 or later. If an update is unavailable, temporarily disable the plugin until a patch is released. Review installed shortcodes and implement additional access controls as a defense-in-depth measure.
Version 8.4.6 or later (check WordPress plugin repository for latest release)
- Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
- Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
- Locate 'The Simple Link Directory' plugin
- Check the current version number displayed under the plugin name
- If the installed version is 8.4.5 or lower, update the plugin to the latest available version
- After updating, verify the plugin is running version 8.4.6 or higher
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-12417 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-12417 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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