How severe is CVE-2019-8942?

CVE-2019-8942 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2019-8942 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 83% (100th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-8942?

CVE-2019-8942 primarily affects Wordpress. In total, 11 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-8942?

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

When was CVE-2019-8942 published?

CVE-2019-8942 was published on 2019-02-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-8942

CVE-2019-8942 is a high-severity vulnerability in Wordpress with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 83% places it in the 100th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-434.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
CVSS v2: 6.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 83% (100th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-434
Affected product: Wordpress
Published: 2019-02-20
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

WordPress before 4.9.9 and 5.x before 5.0.1 allows remote code execution because an _wp_attached_file Post Meta entry can be changed to an arbitrary string, such as one ending with a .jpg?file.php substring. An attacker with author privileges can execute arbitrary code by uploading a crafted image containing PHP code in the Exif metadata. Exploitation can leverage CVE-2019-8943.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-8942?: WordPress before 4.9.9 and 5.x before 5.0.1 allows remote code execution because an _wp_attached_file Post Meta entry can be changed to an arbitrary string, such as one ending with a .jpg?file.php substring. An attacker with author privileges can execute arbitrary code by uploading a crafted image containing PHP code in the Exif metadata. Exploitation can leverage CVE-2019-8943.
How severe is CVE-2019-8942?: CVE-2019-8942 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2019-8942 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 83% (100th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-8942?: CVE-2019-8942 primarily affects Wordpress. In total, 11 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-8942?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2019-8942 published?: CVE-2019-8942 was published on 2019-02-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (11)

cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:5.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:5.0:beta1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:5.0:beta2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:5.0:beta3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:5.0:beta4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:5.0:beta5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:5.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:5.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:5.0:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Wordpress

CVE-2012-2400 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in wp-includes/js/swfobject.js in WordPress before 3.3.2 has unknown impact and attack…
CVE-2012-2399 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in swfupload.swf in SWFupload 2.2.0.1 and earlier, as used in WordPress before…
CVE-2011-3125 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in WordPress 3.1 before 3.1.3 and 3.2 before Beta 2 has unknown impact and attack vectors…
CVE-2011-3122 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in WordPress 3.1 before 3.1.3 and 3.2 before Beta 2 has unknown impact and attack vectors…
CVE-2009-2853 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Wordpress before 2.8.3 allows remote attackers to gain privileges via a direct request to (1) admin-footer.php, (2)…
CVE-2008-6767 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): wp-admin/upgrade.php in WordPress, probably 2.6.x, allows remote attackers to upgrade the application, and possibly…

All CVEs affecting Wordpress →

Other CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-39770 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload in Doctreat <= 1.7.0 versions.
CVE-2026-32579 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload in Kognetiks Chatbot for WordPress <= 2.4.9 versions.
CVE-2026-102427 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Joomla Extension - ordasoft.com - Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution in OrdaSoft Joomla CCK < 8.3.16 -…
CVE-2026-4357 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Embed HTML5 Game WordPress plugin through 1.3 does not properly restrict who can upload files via the plugin, as…
CVE-2026-84147 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): This vulnerability exists in the ERP system due to improper authentication controls and inadequate file type validation…
CVE-2026-81780 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload in Hash Form <= 1.4.2 versions.

Browse all CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type) vulnerabilities →

Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

192.250.232.142 (ipv4-addr)
47.253.49.176 (ipv4-addr)