CVE-2024-4144
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 Simple Basic Contact Form plugin for WordPress for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in all versions up to, and including, 20240502. This allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes. The severity and exploitability depends on the functionality of other plugins installed in the environment.
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 confidenceThe Simple Basic Contact Form WordPress plugin has a vulnerability allowing unauthenticated arbitrary shortcode execution. Since shortcodes can trigger various functionalities provided by other plugins (e.g., content display, data exfiltration, code execution), the actual impact varies based on the WordPress environment's plugin composition.
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
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate the Simple Basic Contact Form pluginNavigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins, or inspect the plugin directory at wp-content/plugins/simple-basic-contact-form/ for the main plugin fileAffected if The plugin directory exists in the WordPress installation
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Determine the installed plugin versionIn the Plugins list view, look for the version number under the plugin name, or open the main plugin PHP file (e.g., simple-basic-contact-form.php) and locate the Version header in the plugin comment blockAffected if The version number is visible and is 20240502 or older, or no version is displayed (plugin may be unmaintained)
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Verify the plugin is activeIn WordPress admin > Plugins, check if Simple Basic Contact Form shows as 'Active' under the plugin statusAffected if The plugin is activated and able to process requests
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Confirm shortcode processing is reachableTest by making a GET request to the site with a parameter that triggers shortcode evaluation, or verify the plugin exposes any public-facing form or endpoint that processes shortcodes (check plugin PHP files for add_shortcode calls or form submission handlers)Affected if The plugin processes shortcodes without authentication, allowing unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary shortcodes
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Check for weaponizable shortcodes from other pluginsReview all installed plugins that register shortcodes (search for add_shortcode in plugin code), particularly plugins that can display content, execute code, query databases, or access sensitive functionsAffected if Other plugins with dangerous shortcodes are installed and active, amplifying the CVE impact
A WordPress site is affected if Simple Basic Contact Form plugin is installed, active, and running version 20240502 or older, enabling unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary shortcodes.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate the Simple Basic Contact Form plugin to a version newer than 20240502. If an update is unavailable, disable the plugin. Additionally, audit other installed plugins for shortcodes that could be weaponized by attackers.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-4144 — 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-2024-4144 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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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.
- 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