CVE-2019-20043

Name: CVE-2019-20043
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2019-12-27T08:15:09.807+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 4.3/10EPSS 2.48%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2019-20043 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 4.3/10 on the CVSS scale. In in wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-posts-controller.php in WordPress 3.7 to 5.3.0, authenticated users who do not have the rights to publish a post are able to mark posts as sticky or unsticky via the REST API. For example, the contributor role does not have such rights, but this allowed them to bypass that. EPSS estimates a 2.48% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

In in wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-posts-controller.php in WordPress 3.7 to 5.3.0, authenticated users who do not have the rights to publish a post are able to mark posts as sticky or unsticky via the REST API. For example, the contributor role does not have such rights, but this allowed them to bypass that. 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.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

4.3/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

EPSS Probability

2.48%

82.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-269

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Wordpress	Wordpress	>= 3.7, < 5.3.1
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0

References

https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/46893/trunkPatch
https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/commit/1d1d5be7aa94608c04516cac4238e8c22b93c1d9Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/security/advisories/GHSA-g7rg-hchx-c2gwThird 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://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9973Release Notes, Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4599Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4677Third Party Advisory
https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/46893/trunkPatch
https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/commit/1d1d5be7aa94608c04516cac4238e8c22b93c1d9Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/security/advisories/GHSA-g7rg-hchx-c2gwThird 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://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9973Release Notes, Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4599Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4677Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Dec 27, 2019
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-20043?

How severe is CVE-2019-20043?

CVE-2019-20043 has a CVSS score of 4.3/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 2.48% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2019-20043?

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.

Are you affected by CVE-2019-20043?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST