HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-20151
HIGH

CVE-2018-20151

CWE-200Published: December 14, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

In WordPress before 4.9.9 and 5.x before 5.0.1, the user-activation page could be read by a search engine's web crawler if an unusual configuration were chosen. The search engine could then index and display a user's e-mail address and (rarely) the password that was generated by default.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-20151 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), with a CVSS base score of 7.5.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-200): Information exposure vulnerabilities leak sensitive data to unauthorized actors.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
WordPress1 product(s)
wordpress
Source: NVD CPE · 3 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106220
ADVISORYhttps://codex.wordpress.org/Version_4.9.9
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/02/msg00019.html
ADVISORYhttps://wordpress.org/news/2018/12/wordpress-5-0-1-security-release/
ADVISORYhttps://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-5-0-1/
ADVISORYhttps://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9174
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4401
ADVISORYhttps://www.zdnet.com/article/wordpress-plugs-bug-that-led-to-google-indexing-some-user-passwords/
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106220
ADVISORYhttps://codex.wordpress.org/Version_4.9.9
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/02/msg00019.html
ADVISORYhttps://wordpress.org/news/2018/12/wordpress-5-0-1-security-release/
ADVISORYhttps://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-5-0-1/
ADVISORYhttps://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9174
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4401
ADVISORYhttps://www.zdnet.com/article/wordpress-plugs-bug-that-led-to-google-indexing-some-user-passwords/

All References (16)

→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106220Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://codex.wordpress.org/Version_4.9.9Product · Vendor Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/02/msg00019.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://wordpress.org/news/2018/12/wordpress-5-0-1-security-release/Release Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-5-0-1/Release Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9174Vendor Advisory
→
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4401Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.zdnet.com/article/wordpress-plugs-bug-that-led-to-google-indexing-some-user-passwords/Press/Media Coverage · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106220Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://codex.wordpress.org/Version_4.9.9Product · Vendor Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/02/msg00019.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://wordpress.org/news/2018/12/wordpress-5-0-1-security-release/Release Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-5-0-1/Release Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9174Vendor Advisory
→
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4401Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-20151
CVSS Score7.5 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-200
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedDec 14, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-200)

CVE-2013-0693
10.0
CVE-2008-3010
10.0
CVE-2011-1643
10.0
CVE-2011-3497
10.0
CVE-2008-3914
10.0
CVE-2015-0987
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-20151 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
← All Vulnerabilities·Search for CVE-2018-20151·NVD