Reported vulnerability

WordPress Core < 6.3.2 – Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary Shortcode Execution via parse-media-shortcode

Q: Which versions of WordPress are affected?

Wordfence lists these affected versions: Start version unspecified, through 4.1.38; From 4.2, through 4.2.35; From 4.3, through 4.3.31; From 4.4, through 4.4.30; From 4.5, through 4.5.29; From 4.6, through 4.6.26; From 4.7, through 4.7.26; From 4.8, through 4.8.22; From 4.9, through 4.9.23; From 5.0, through 5.0.19; From 5.1, through 5.1.16; From 5.2, through 5.2.18; From 5.3, through 5.3.15; From 5.4, through 5.4.13; From 5.5, through 5.5.12; From 5.6, through 5.6.11; From 5.7, through 5.7.9; From 5.8, through 5.8.7; From 5.9, through 5.9.7; From 6.0, through 6.0.5; From 6.1, through 6.1.3; From 6.2, through 6.2.2; From 6.3, through 6.3.1. Use the version checker above to compare your installed release with this report.

Q: Is a fix available for WordPress?

Wordfence reports a fix for this issue in WordPress. It lists these fixed versions: 4.1.39, 4.2.36, 4.3.32, 4.4.31, 4.5.30, 4.6.27, 4.7.27, 4.8.23, 4.9.24, 5.0.20, 5.1.17, 5.2.19, 5.3.16, 5.4.14, 5.5.13, 5.6.12, 5.7.10, 5.8.8, 5.9.8, 6.0.6, 6.1.4, 6.2.3, 6.3.2. Back up your website and test the recommended update before applying it to your live site.

Q: Where can I find my installed WordPress version?

In WordPress, open Dashboard > Updates to find your installed WordPress version.

Published 12 Oct 2023

Updated 22 Jan 2024

Compare your installed software with the affected versions below. Follow the source’s remediation guidance and test an available update after taking a backup. A database entry describes a reported issue; it does not establish whether a particular website has been compromised.

Does this affect my version?

Check your installed version against this advisory. This compares the report’s version ranges and does not scan your website.

Wordfence advisory

medium · CVSS 5.4

WordPress Core is vulnerable to arbitrary shortcode execution in versions up to, and including, 6.3.1 due to a lack of input validation on the 'shortcode' parameter in the parse_media_shortcode AJAX function. This allows authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level privileges and above, to execute arbitrary shortcodes.

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

WordPress

Software: WordPress Core · wordpress
Affected versions: Start version unspecified, through 4.1.38; From 4.2, through 4.2.35; From 4.3, through 4.3.31; From 4.4, through 4.4.30; From 4.5, through 4.5.29; From 4.6, through 4.6.26; From 4.7, through 4.7.26; From 4.8, through 4.8.22; From 4.9, through 4.9.23; From 5.0, through 5.0.19; From 5.1, through 5.1.16; From 5.2, through 5.2.18; From 5.3, through 5.3.15; From 5.4, through 5.4.13; From 5.5, through 5.5.12; From 5.6, through 5.6.11; From 5.7, through 5.7.9; From 5.8, through 5.8.7; From 5.9, through 5.9.7; From 6.0, through 6.0.5; From 6.1, through 6.1.3; From 6.2, through 6.2.2; From 6.3, through 6.3.1
Fix availability: Fix available
Fixed versions: 4.1.39, 4.2.36, 4.3.32, 4.4.31, 4.5.30, 4.6.27, 4.7.27, 4.8.23, 4.9.24, 5.0.20, 5.1.17, 5.2.19, 5.3.16, 5.4.14, 5.5.13, 5.6.12, 5.7.10, 5.8.8, 5.9.8, 6.0.6, 6.1.4, 6.2.3, 6.3.2

Recommended action

Update to one of the following versions, or a newer patched version: 4.1.39, 4.2.36, 4.3.32, 4.4.31, 4.5.30, 4.6.27, 4.7.27, 4.8.23, 4.9.24, 5.0.20, 5.1.17, 5.2.19, 5.3.16, 5.4.14, 5.5.13, 5.6.12, 5.7.10, 5.8.8, 5.9.8, 6.0.6, 6.1.4, 6.2.3, 6.3.2

Further references (1)

wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/1fc3f65e-5fbe-403b-b7cd-dde16a7e5778?source=api-prod

Data sources and licences

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Source: Wordfence

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Questions about this vulnerability

Which versions of WordPress are affected?

Wordfence lists these affected versions: Start version unspecified, through 4.1.38; From 4.2, through 4.2.35; From 4.3, through 4.3.31; From 4.4, through 4.4.30; From 4.5, through 4.5.29; From 4.6, through 4.6.26; From 4.7, through 4.7.26; From 4.8, through 4.8.22; From 4.9, through 4.9.23; From 5.0, through 5.0.19; From 5.1, through 5.1.16; From 5.2, through 5.2.18; From 5.3, through 5.3.15; From 5.4, through 5.4.13; From 5.5, through 5.5.12; From 5.6, through 5.6.11; From 5.7, through 5.7.9; From 5.8, through 5.8.7; From 5.9, through 5.9.7; From 6.0, through 6.0.5; From 6.1, through 6.1.3; From 6.2, through 6.2.2; From 6.3, through 6.3.1. Use the version checker above to compare your installed release with this report.

Is a fix available for WordPress?

Wordfence reports a fix for this issue in WordPress. It lists these fixed versions: 4.1.39, 4.2.36, 4.3.32, 4.4.31, 4.5.30, 4.6.27, 4.7.27, 4.8.23, 4.9.24, 5.0.20, 5.1.17, 5.2.19, 5.3.16, 5.4.14, 5.5.13, 5.6.12, 5.7.10, 5.8.8, 5.9.8, 6.0.6, 6.1.4, 6.2.3, 6.3.2. Back up your website and test the recommended update before applying it to your live site.

Where can I find my installed WordPress version?

In WordPress, open Dashboard > Updates to find your installed WordPress version.

Does an affected version mean my website has been hacked?

An affected version means the installed release matches a vulnerability described in this report. It does not show whether anyone has exploited it on your website. The checker compares version numbers with stored reports; it does not inspect your website.

These reports cover at least one of the same plugins, themes or WordPress core. Check each report’s affected versions separately.

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