How severe is CVE-2020-28037?

CVE-2020-28037 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-2020-28037 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 8% (94th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-28037?

CVE-2020-28037 primarily affects Wordpress. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-28037?

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-2020-28037 published?

CVE-2020-28037 was published on 2020-11-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-28037

CVE-2020-28037 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Wordpress 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-754.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 8% (94th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-754
Affected product: Wordpress
Published: 2020-11-02
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

is_blog_installed in wp-includes/functions.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 improperly determines whether WordPress is already installed, which might allow an attacker to perform a new installation, leading to remote code execution (as well as a denial of service for the old installation).

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-28037?: is_blog_installed in wp-includes/functions.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 improperly determines whether WordPress is already installed, which might allow an attacker to perform a new installation, leading to remote code execution (as well as a denial of service for the old installation).
How severe is CVE-2020-28037?: CVE-2020-28037 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-2020-28037 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 8% (94th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-28037?: CVE-2020-28037 primarily affects Wordpress. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-28037?: 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-2020-28037 published?: CVE-2020-28037 was published on 2020-11-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (5)

cpe:2.3:a:wordpress:wordpress:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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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)…
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CVE-2026-8091 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Incorrect boundary conditions in the Audio/Video: Playback component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 150,…
CVE-2024-52316 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Unchecked Error Condition vulnerability in Apache Tomcat. If Tomcat is configured to use a custom Jakarta…
CVE-2024-7826 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions vulnerability in Webroot SecureAnywhere - Web Shield on Windows,…
CVE-2023-37303 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in the CheckUser extension for MediaWiki through 1.39.3. In certain situations, an attempt to…

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Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

64.202.190.35 (ipv4-addr)