Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2021-29447

Wordpress is an open source CMS. A user with the ability to upload files (like an Author) can exploit an XML parsing issue in the Media Library leading to XXE attacks. This requires WordPress installation to be using PHP 8. Access to internal files is possible in a successful XXE attack. This has been patched in WordPress version 5.7.1, along with the older affected versions via a minor release. We strongly recommend you keep auto-updates enabled.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.1, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), limited integrity, for affected systems. Impacting 2 products from wordpress, from debian organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

Reported in 2021, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.

Published

2021-04-15T21:15:17.723

Last Modified

2024-11-21T06:01:07.047

Status

Modified

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 7.1 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:N/A:N

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: LOW
Authentication: SINGLE
Confidentiality Impact: PARTIAL
Integrity Impact: NONE
Availability Impact: NONE

Exploitability Score

8.0

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses

Type: Secondary
CWE-611
Type: Primary
CWE-611

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	wordpress	wordpress	< 5.7.1	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	9.0	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	10.0	Yes

References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/163148/XML-External-Entity-Via-MP3-File-Upload-On-WordPress.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164198/WordPress-5.7-Media-Library-XML-Injection.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://blog.sonarsource.com/wordpress-xxe-security-vulnerability/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/security/advisories/GHSA-rv47-pc52-qrhh Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/04/msg00017.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://wordpress.org/news/category/security/ Release Notes, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4896 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/163148/XML-External-Entity-Via-MP3-File-Upload-On-WordPress.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164198/WordPress-5.7-Media-Library-XML-Injection.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://blog.sonarsource.com/wordpress-xxe-security-vulnerability/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/security/advisories/GHSA-rv47-pc52-qrhh Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/04/msg00017.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://wordpress.org/news/category/security/ Release Notes, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4896 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For wordpress's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.