CRITICAL
CVE-2018-20979
NVD-CWE-noinfoPublished: August 22, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
9.8
CVSS v3.1
Official Description
The contact-form-7 plugin before 5.0.4 for WordPress has privilege escalation because of capability_type mishandling in register_post_type.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2018-20979 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), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Vendors & Products
rocklobster1 product(s)
contact form 7
Source: NVD CPE · 1 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
All References (2)
→
https://wordpress.org/plugins/contact-form-7/#developersRelease Notes · Third Party Advisory
→
https://wordpress.org/plugins/contact-form-7/#developersRelease Notes · Third Party Advisory
Quick Facts
CVE IDCVE-2018-20979
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessNVD-CWE-noinfo
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedAug 22, 2019
Related CVEs (NVD-CWE-noinfo)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2018-20979 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.