WordPress Security Audit Checklist for Production Sites
A WordPress security audit checklist should produce clear remediation actions, not a long report nobody executes. Use this guide to review core, plugins, themes, privileg...
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The wpForo Forum plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Deletion in versions up to and including 3.0.2. This is due to a two-step logic flaw: the topic_add() and topic_edit() action handlers accept arbitrary user-supplied data[*] arrays from $_REQUEST and store them as postmeta without restricting which fields may contain array values. Because 'body' is included in the allowed topic fields list, an attacker can supply data[body][fileurl] with an arbitrary file path (e.g., wp-config.php or an absolute server path). This poisoned fileurl is persisted to the plugin's custom postmeta database table. Subsequently, when the attacker submits wpftcf_delete[]=body on a topic_edit request, the add_file() method retrieves the stored postmeta record, extracts the attacker-controlled fileurl, passes it through wpforo_fix_upload_dir() which only rewrites legitimate wpforo upload paths and returns all other paths unchanged, and then calls wp_delete_file() on the unvalidated path. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to delete arbitrary files writable by the PHP process on the server, including critical files such as wp-config.
No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
The LifterLMS plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to SQL Injection via the 'order' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 9.2.1. This is due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Instructor-level access and above who have the edit_post capability on the quiz, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.
Update to version 9.2.2, or a newer patched version
The UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to blind Server-Side Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.58. This is due to insufficient URL origin validation in the process_image_crop() method when processing avatar/banner image crop operations. The function accepts a user-controlled URL via the uwp_crop POST parameter and only validates it using esc_url() for sanitization and wp_check_filetype() for extension verification, without enforcing that the URL references a local uploads file. The URL is then passed to uwp_resizeThumbnailImage() which uses it in PHP image processing functions (getimagesize(), imagecreatefrom*()) that support URL wrappers and perform outbound HTTP requests. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber-level access and above to coerce the WordPress server into making arbitrary HTTP requests to attacker-controlled or internal network destinations, enabling internal network scanning and potential access to sensitive services.
Update to version 1.2.59, or a newer patched version
The BuddyPress Groupblog plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.3. This is due to the group blog settings handler accepting the `groupblog-blogid`, `default-member`, and `groupblog-silent-add` parameters from user input without proper authorization checks. The `groupblog-blogid` parameter allows any group admin (including Subscribers who create their own group) to associate their group with any blog on the Multisite network, including the main site (blog ID 1). The `default-member` parameter accepts any WordPress role, including `administrator`, without validation against a whitelist. When combined with `groupblog-silent-add`, any user who joins the attacker's group is automatically added to the targeted blog with the injected role. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to escalate any user (including themselves via a second account) to Administrator on the main site of the Multisite network.
Update to version 1.9.4, or a newer patched version
The BlockArt Blocks plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'clientId' block attribute in all versions up to, and including, 2.2.15. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Author-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.
Update to version 2.3.0, or a newer patched version
The Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions up to, and including, 3.9.7. This is due to missing authorization checks in the `save_course_content_order()` private method, which is called unconditionally by the `tutor_update_course_content_order` AJAX handler. While the handler's `content_parent` branch includes a `can_user_manage()` check, the `save_course_content_order()` call processes attacker-supplied `tutor_topics_lessons_sorting` JSON without any ownership or capability verification. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or above to detach lessons from topics, reorder course content, and reassign lessons between topics in any course, including admin-owned courses, by sending a crafted AJAX request with manipulated topic and lesson IDs.
Update to version 3.9.8, or a newer patched version
The Optimole – Optimize Images | Convert WebP & AVIF | CDN & Lazy Load | Image Optimization plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.2. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on the user-supplied 's' parameter (srcset descriptor) in the unauthenticated /wp-json/optimole/v1/optimizations REST endpoint. The endpoint validates requests using an HMAC signature and timestamp, but these values are exposed directly in the frontend HTML making them accessible to any visitor. The plugin uses sanitize_text_field() on the descriptor value of rest.php, which strips HTML tags but does not escape double quotes. The poisoned descriptor is then stored via transients (backed by the WordPress options table) and later retrieved and injected verbatim into the srcset attribute of tag_replacer.php without proper escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts into pages that will execute whenever a user accesses the injected page.
Update to version 4.2.3, or a newer patched version
The GreenShift - Animation and Page Builder Blocks plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting in versions up to, and including, 12.8.9 This is due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping in the gspb_greenShift_block_script_assets() function. The function uses str_replace() to insert 'fetchpriority="high"' before 'src=' attributes when processing greenshift-blocks/image blocks with the disablelazy attribute enabled. Because this replacement operates on the entire HTML string without parsing, contributors can inject the string 'src=' into HTML attribute values (such as class attributes). When the str_replace executes, the double quotes in the replacement string break out of the attribute context, allowing injection of malicious HTML attributes like onfocus with JavaScript payloads. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page.
Update to version 12.9.0, or a newer patched version
The Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized private course enrollment in all versions up to, and including, 3.9.7. This is due to missing post_status validation in the `enroll_now()` and `course_enrollment()` functions. Both enrollment endpoints verify the nonce, user authentication, and whether the course is purchasable, but fail to check if the course has a `private` post_status. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or above to enroll in private courses by sending a crafted POST request with the target course ID. The enrollment record is created in the database and the private course title and enrollment status are exposed in the subscriber's dashboard, though WordPress core access control prevents the subscriber from viewing the actual course content (returns 404). Enrollment in private courses should be restricted to users with the `read_private_posts` capability.
Update to version 3.9.8, or a newer patched version
The Optimole – Optimize Images in Real Time plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via URL paths in versions up to, and including, 4.2.3 This is due to insufficient output escaping on user-supplied URL paths in the get_current_url() function, which are inserted into JavaScript code via str_replace() without proper JavaScript context escaping in the replace_content() function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that execute if they can successfully trick a user into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
Update to version 4.2.4, or a newer patched version
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