CVE-2020-4050set-screen-option filter misuse by plugins leading to privilege escalation in WordPress
- 3.5LowCVSS base score
- 1.4%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 27% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
In affected versions of WordPress, misuse of the `set-screen-option` filter's return value allows arbitrary user meta fields to be saved. It does require an admin to install a plugin that would misuse the filter. Once installed, it can be leveraged by low privileged users. This has been patched in version 5.4.2, along with all the previously affected versions via a minor release (5.3.4, 5.2.7, 5.1.6, 5.0.10, 4.9.15, 4.8.14, 4.7.18, 4.6.19, 4.5.22, 4.4.23, 4.3.24, 4.2.28, 4.1.31, 4.0.31, 3.9.32, 3.8.34, 3.7.34).
Timeline
ID reserved
By GitHub_M
- 6 months later
· 6 months later
Published
- 4 years later
· 4 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | Low3.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N |
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.1 | Low3.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 1.4% · top 27% of all CVEs (12 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Low 3.5.
Affected products
- affected >= 5.4.0, < 5.4.2
- affected >= 5.3.0, < 5.3.4
- affected >= 5.2.0, < 5.2.7
- affected >= 5.1.0, < 5.1.6
- affected >= 5.0.0, < 5.0.10
- affected >= 4.9.0, < 4.9.15
- affected >= 4.8.0, < 4.8.14
- affected >= 4.7.0, < 4.7.18
- affected >= 4.6.0, < 4.6.19
- affected >= 4.5.0, < 4.5.22
- affected >= 4.4.0, < 4.4.23
- affected >= 4.3.0, < 4.3.24
- affected >= 4.2.0, < 4.2.28
- affected >= 4.1.0, < 4.1.31
- affected >= 4.0.0, < 4.0.31
- affected >= 3.9.0, < 3.9.32
- affected >= 3.8.0, < 3.8.34
- affected >= 3.7.0, < 3.7.34
References
References8
- https://wordpress.org/news/2020/06/wordpress-5-4-2-security-and-maintenance-release/ (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/security/advisories/GHSA-4vpv-fgg2-gcqc (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/commit/b8dea76b495f0072523106c6ec46b9ea0d2a0920 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- FEDORA-2020-8447a3e195 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_FEDORAx_transferred
- FEDORA-2020-bbedd29391 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_FEDORAx_transferred
- DSA-4709 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_DEBIANx_transferred
- [debian-lts-announce] 20200701 [SECURITY] [DLA 2269-1] wordpress security update (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- [debian-lts-announce] 20200911 [SECURITY] [DLA 2371-1] wordpress security update (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2020-25308 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2020-4050)Record last updated .