CVE-2019-20041
CRITICALCVSS 9.8/10EPSS 4.65%
Last modified
CVE-2019-20041 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.8/10 on the CVSS scale. wp_kses_bad_protocol in wp-includes/kses.php in WordPress before 5.3.1 mishandles the HTML5 colon named entity, allowing attackers to bypass input sanitization, as demonstrated by the javascript: substring.. EPSS estimates a 4.65% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.
Description
wp_kses_bad_protocol in wp-includes/kses.php in WordPress before 5.3.1 mishandles the HTML5 colon named entity, allowing attackers to bypass input sanitization, as demonstrated by the javascript: substring.
Metrics
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness Enumeration
Affected Software
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Wordpress | Wordpress | < 5.3.1 |
| Debian | Debian Linux | 8.0 |
| Debian | Debian Linux | 9.0 |
| Debian | Debian Linux | 10.0 |
References
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/01/msg00010.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/8Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://wordpress.org/news/2019/12/wordpress-5-3-1-security-and-maintenance-release/Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4599Third Party Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4677Third Party Advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/01/msg00010.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/8Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://wordpress.org/news/2019/12/wordpress-5-3-1-security-and-maintenance-release/Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4599Third Party Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4677Third Party Advisory
Timeline
- Published
- Last Modified
- Status
- Modified
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2019-20041?
wp_kses_bad_protocol in wp-includes/kses.php in WordPress before 5.3.1 mishandles the HTML5 colon named entity, allowing attackers to bypass input sanitization, as demonstrated by the javascript: substring.
How severe is CVE-2019-20041?
CVE-2019-20041 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 4.65% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2019-20041?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.
How Strix Helps
- How Strix found a critical auth bypass in etcdStrix autonomously discovered a critical authentication bypass in etcd, later designated CVE-2026-33413.
- Autonomous PentestingAI agents that find and validate exploitable vulnerabilities like this one across your applications.
- PR ReviewsPentest every pull request so vulnerable code is caught before it ships to production.
- AI Penetration TestingHow AI-driven penetration testing continuously covers your attack surface.
Related CVEs from 2019
- CVE-2019-2003In addLinks of Linkify.java, there is a possible phishing ve…
- CVE-2019-20030An attacker with knowledge of the modem access number on a N…7.8
- CVE-2019-20031NEC UM8000, UM4730 and prior non-InMail voicemail systems wi…9.1
- CVE-2019-20032An attacker with access to an InMail voicemail box equipped …6.5
- CVE-2019-20033On Aspire-derived NEC PBXes, including all versions of SV810…9.8
- CVE-2019-2004In publishKeyEvent, publishMotionEvent and sendUnchainedFini…
- CVE-2019-20042In wp-includes/formatting.php in WordPress 3.7 to 5.3.0, the…6.1
- CVE-2019-20043In in wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-posts-con…4.3
- CVE-2019-20044In Zsh before 5.8, attackers able to execute commands can re…7.8
- CVE-2019-20045The Synergy Systems & Solutions PLC & RTU system has a vulne…7.5
- CVE-2019-20046The Synergy Systems & Solutions PLC & RTU system has a vulne…9.8
- CVE-2019-20047An issue was discovered on Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista 4760 dev…7.5
Are you affected by CVE-2019-20041?
Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.
Scan your code nowSource: NVD / NIST