dbcve.org
Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2024-4135

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 WP Latest Posts plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in all versions up to, and including, 5.0.7. This is due to the plugin allowing users to execute an action that does not properly validate a user-supplied value prior to using that value in a call to 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 WP Latest Posts WordPress plugin up to version 5.0.7 contains an arbitrary shortcode execution vulnerability. The plugin fails to properly validate user-supplied input before passing it to the WordPress do_shortcode() function, allowing unauthenticated attackers to inject and execute arbitrary shortcodes on the affected site.

MitigationUpdate the WP Latest Posts plugin to version 5.0.8 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate updating is not possible, consider deploying a WAF rule to block requests targeting the vulnerable parameter or temporarily disable the plugin.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

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

  1. Verify WP Latest Posts plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard under Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'WP Latest Posts' or check the file system at wp-content/plugins/ for the wp-latest-posts folder
    Affected if The plugin appears in the installed plugins list or the wp-latest-posts directory exists in wp-content/plugins/
  2. Check the installed version number
    In the plugins list, click on the plugin to view details and note the version number, or open wp-content/plugins/wp-latest-posts/readme.txt and locate the 'Stable tag' or version entry in the plugin header comment in the main PHP file
    Affected if The version displayed is 5.0.7 or lower (any version up to and including 5.0.7)
  3. Confirm the plugin is active
    In WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins, verify the WP Latest Posts plugin shows as 'Active'
    Affected if The plugin is active and the version is 5.0.7 or lower
  4. Identify exposed shortcode endpoints
    Check for pages or posts that use the [latest_posts_shortcode] or similar shortcode provided by the plugin, and identify if any URL parameters directly feed into the shortcode output without sanitization
    Affected if The plugin's shortcode is in use on a public page and accepts user-supplied input that could be manipulated

A user is affected if the WP Latest Posts plugin is installed, active, and running version 5.0.7 or earlier.

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 WP Latest Posts plugin to version 5.0.8 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate updating is not possible, consider deploying a WAF rule to block requests targeting the vulnerable parameter or temporarily disable the plugin.

Recommended fix High confidence

5.0.8 or later

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find the 'WP Latest Posts' plugin
  4. Check if the current version is 5.0.7 or earlier
  5. If vulnerable, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest version
  6. Alternatively, download the latest version from wordpress.org/plugins/wp-latest-posts/ and upload it manually
  7. After update, verify the plugin version is 5.0.8 or higher

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2024-4135 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
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