How severe is CVE-2012-4421?

CVE-2012-4421 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.0, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2012-4421 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (77th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2012-4421?

CVE-2012-4421 primarily affects Wordpress. In total, 87 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2012-4421?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2012-4421 published?

CVE-2012-4421 was published on 2012-09-14 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2012-4421

CVE-2012-4421 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Wordpress with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-264.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 4.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (77th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-264
Affected product: Wordpress
Published: 2012-09-14
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

The create_post function in wp-includes/class-wp-atom-server.php in WordPress before 3.4.2 does not perform a capability check, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and publish new posts by leveraging the Contributor role and using the Atom Publishing Protocol (aka AtomPub) feature.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2012-4421?: The create_post function in wp-includes/class-wp-atom-server.php in WordPress before 3.4.2 does not perform a capability check, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and publish new posts by leveraging the Contributor role and using the Atom Publishing Protocol (aka AtomPub) feature.
How severe is CVE-2012-4421?: CVE-2012-4421 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.0, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2012-4421 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (77th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2012-4421?: CVE-2012-4421 primarily affects Wordpress. In total, 87 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2012-4421?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2012-4421 published?: CVE-2012-4421 was published on 2012-09-14 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (87)

cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:0.71:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.2.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.2.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.2.5:a:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.3.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.3.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.5.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.5.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.5.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:1.5.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.0.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:2.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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