CVE-2019-20042
6.1 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2019-20042 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting wordpress wordpress. It was published on December 27, 2019 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
In wp-includes/formatting.php in WordPress 3.7 to 5.3.0, the function wp_targeted_link_rel() can be used in a particular way to result in a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability. This has been patched in WordPress 5.3.1, along with all the previous WordPress versions from 3.7 to 5.3 via a minor release.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from wordpress. Update wordpress to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| wordpress | wordpress | >= 3.7, < 5.3.1 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2019-20042?
CVE-2019-20042 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting wordpress wordpress. It was published on December 27, 2019 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2019-20042?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2019-20042?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from wordpress. Update wordpress to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2019-20042?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2019-20042 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
Automated penetration testing that runs continuously, not just quarterly.
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Browser-based exploitation validates findings with real proof-of-concept.
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