How severe is CVE-2019-13478?

CVE-2019-13478 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2019-13478 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-13478?

CVE-2019-13478 primarily affects Yoast Yoast Seo. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-13478?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2019-13478 published?

CVE-2019-13478 was published on 2019-07-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-13478

CVE-2019-13478 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Yoast Yoast Seo with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-79.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (87th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-79
Affected product: Yoast Yoast Seo
Published: 2019-07-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The Yoast SEO plugin before 11.6-RC5 for WordPress does not properly restrict unfiltered HTML in term descriptions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-13478?: The Yoast SEO plugin before 11.6-RC5 for WordPress does not properly restrict unfiltered HTML in term descriptions.
How severe is CVE-2019-13478?: CVE-2019-13478 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2019-13478 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-13478?: CVE-2019-13478 primarily affects Yoast Yoast Seo. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-13478?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2019-13478 published?: CVE-2019-13478 was published on 2019-07-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (5)

cpe:2.3:a:yoast:yoast_seo:*:*:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:yoast:yoast_seo:11.6:rc1:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:yoast:yoast_seo:11.6:rc2:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:yoast:yoast_seo:11.6:rc3:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:yoast:yoast_seo:11.6:rc4:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*

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CVE-2023-32300 — High (CVSS 7.1): Unauth. Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Yoast Yoast SEO: Local plugin <= 14.8 versions.
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CVE-2023-28785 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): Auth. (contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Yoast Yoast SEO: Local plugin <= 14.9 versions.
CVE-2021-31779 — Medium (CVSS 6.4): The yoast_seo (aka Yoast SEO) extension before 7.2.1 for TYPO3 allows SSRF via a backend user account.
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CVE-2021-36788 — Medium (CVSS 5.4): The yoast_seo (aka Yoast SEO) extension before 7.2.3 for TYPO3 allows XSS.

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