CVE-2021-39201 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

WordPress is a popular content management system vulnerable to authenticated cross-site scripting in the editor.

Understanding CVE-2021-39201

This CVE involves an authenticated, low-privileged user executing XSS in the WordPress editor.

What is CVE-2021-39201?

WordPress, in versions >= 5.0 and < 5.8.0, allows low-privileged users to execute XSS in the editor.
The vulnerability bypasses restrictions for users lacking the permission to post

unfiltered_html

.

The Impact of CVE-2021-39201

CVSS Score: 7.6 (High)
Attack Vector: Network
Confidentiality Impact: High
Integrity Impact: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Changed
Attack Complexity: Low
Availability Impact: None

Technical Details of CVE-2021-39201

This section provides in-depth technical information about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

Authenticated but low-privileged users can execute XSS in the WordPress editor.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: WordPress-develop
Vendor: WordPress
Versions Affected: >= 5.0, < 5.8.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Low-privileged authenticated users can exploit this vulnerability to execute XSS in the editor.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect your system from CVE-2021-39201 with the following steps.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update WordPress to version 5.8 or newer to patch the vulnerability.
Enable auto-updates to receive the fix for older versions.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update WordPress and plugins to the latest versions.
Educate users on safe practices to prevent XSS attacks.

Patching and Updates

WordPress version 5.8 contains the patch for this vulnerability.