CVE-2019-20043
WordPress before 5.3.1 allowed an unauthenticated user to make a post sticky through the REST API...
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.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
4.3
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.
- Record
CVE-2019-20043- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
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.
- Record
CVE-2019-20043- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2019-10599 No score
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.
- Record
EUVD-2019-10599- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-ppxh-5qq2-77g8
4.3
WordPress before 5.3.1 allowed an unauthenticated user to make a post sticky through the REST API...
WordPress before 5.3.1 allowed an unauthenticated user to make a post sticky through the REST API because of missing access control in wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-posts-controller.php.
- Record
GHSA-ppxh-5qq2-77g8- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
4.3
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.
- Record
CVE-2019-20043- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2019-20043
4.3
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.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2019-20043- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2019-20043
4.3
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.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2019-20043- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
wordpressDebian:12 |
before 5.3.2+dfsg1-1 | 5.3.2+dfsg1-1 |
wordpressDebian:13 |
before 5.3.2+dfsg1-1 | 5.3.2+dfsg1-1 |
wordpressDebian:14 |
before 5.3.2+dfsg1-1 | 5.3.2+dfsg1-1 |
wordpressDebian:10 From an advisory covering 18 CVEs |
before 5.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u1, plus listed versions 5.0.4+dfsg1-1 |
5.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u1 |
wordpressUbuntu:16.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 4.3+dfsg-14.3.1+dfsg-14.4+dfsg-14.4.1+dfsg-14.4.2+dfsg-14.4.2+dfsg-1ubuntu1 |
None known |
wordpressUbuntu:18.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 4.8.2+dfsg-24.8.3+dfsg-14.9.1+dfsg-14.9.2+dfsg-14.9.4+dfsg-14.9.5+dfsg1-1 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | ||
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2019-20043 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.3) in Wordpress, published December 27, 2019. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.48%, the 84th percentile. Fixed in wordpress 5.3.2+dfsg1-1.
References
wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9973
wordpress.org/news/2019/12/wordpress-5-3-1-security-and-maintenance-release
core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/46893/trunk
github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/commit/1d1d5be7aa94608c04516cac4238e8c22b93c1d9
seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/8
debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4599
Show 7 moreShow less
github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/security/advisories/GHSA-g7rg-hchx-c2gw
debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4677
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-20043
github.com/advisories/GHSA-ppxh-5qq2-77g8
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2019-20043
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-20043
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-20043