CVE-2020-28039

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file...

9.1 CriticalFix available

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file deletion because it does not properly determine whether a meta key is considered protected.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: None
User interaction: None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality: None
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Exploit likelihood

4.11%Up 2.2 points since Apr 14, 2021

What each source reports

NVD Score used 9.1

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file deletion because it does not properly determine whether a meta key is considered protected.

Record: CVE-2020-28039
CVSS 3.1: 9.1 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
CVSS 2.0: 6.4 MediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P
Updated: 2026-11-02

CVE List No score

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file deletion because it does not properly determine whether a meta key is considered protected.

Record: CVE-2020-28039
Updated: 2026-11-02

EUVDEUVD-2020-20530 No score

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file deletion because it does not properly determine whether a meta key is considered protected.

Record: EUVD-2020-20530
Updated: 2026-11-03

GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-65h5-8qpr-9m3v 9.1

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file...

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file deletion because it does not properly determine whether a meta key is considered protected.

Record: GHSA-65h5-8qpr-9m3v
CVSS 3.1: 9.1 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSV 9.1

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file deletion because it does not properly determine whether a meta key is considered protected.

Record: CVE-2020-28039
CVSS 3.1: 9.1 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2020-28039 9.1

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file deletion because it does not properly determine whether a meta key is considered protected.

Record: DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28039
CVSS 3.1: 9.1 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2020-28039 9.1

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file deletion because it does not properly determine whether a meta key is considered protected.

Record: UBUNTU-CVE-2020-28039
CVSS 3.1: 9.1 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVBIT-wordpress-2020-28039 No score

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file deletion because it does not properly determine whether a meta key is considered protected.

Record: BIT-wordpress-2020-28039
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVBIT-wordpress-multisite-2020-28039 No score

is_protected_meta in wp-includes/meta.php in WordPress before 5.5.2 allows arbitrary file deletion because it does not properly determine whether a meta key is considered protected.

Record: BIT-wordpress-multisite-2020-28039
Updated: 2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
Package	Affected	Fixed
`wordpress` Bitnami	before 5.5.2	5.5.2
`wordpress-multisite` Bitnami	before 5.5.2	5.5.2
`wordpress` Debian:12	before 5.5.3+dfsg1-1	5.5.3+dfsg1-1
`wordpress` Debian:13	before 5.5.3+dfsg1-1	5.5.3+dfsg1-1
`wordpress` Debian:14	before 5.5.3+dfsg1-1	5.5.3+dfsg1-1
`wordpress` Debian:9	before 4.7.19+dfsg-1+deb9u1, plus listed versions 4.7.18+dfsg-1+deb9u14.7.5+dfsg-24.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u14.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u1~bpo8+14.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u2 Show 5 moreShow less 4.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u2~bpo8+14.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u34.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u44.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u54.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u6	4.7.19+dfsg-1+deb9u1
`wordpress` Debian:10	before 5.0.11+dfsg1-0+deb10u1, plus listed versions 5.0.10+dfsg1-0+deb10u15.0.4+dfsg1-15.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u15.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u2	5.0.11+dfsg1-0+deb10u1
`wordpress` Ubuntu: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
`wordpress` Ubuntu: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
`wordpress` Ubuntu:20.04:LTS	All versions, plus listed versions 5.2.2+dfsg1-15.2.4+dfsg1-15.3.2+dfsg1-15.3.2+dfsg1-1ubuntu1	None known

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Affected packages
Package	Affected	Fixed
`wordpress` Ubuntu:22.04:LTS	All versions, plus listed versions 5.7.1+dfsg1-2ubuntu15.8.1+dfsg1-2ubuntu15.8.2+dfsg1-1ubuntu15.8.3+dfsg1-1ubuntu15.8.3+dfsg1-1ubuntu1.1	None known
`wordpress` Ubuntu:24.04:LTS	All versions, plus listed versions 6.2+dfsg1-1ubuntu16.4.3+dfsg1-1ubuntu1	None known
`wordpress` Ubuntu:25.10	All versions, plus listed versions 6.7.2+dfsg1-1.1ubuntu1	None known
`wordpress` Ubuntu:26.10	All versions, plus listed versions 6.7.2+dfsg1-1.1ubuntu2	None known
`wordpress` Ubuntu:26.04:LTS	All versions, plus listed versions 6.7.2+dfsg1-1.1ubuntu16.7.2+dfsg1-1.1ubuntu2	None known

History

History
Recorded	Changed	Sources
Nov 3, 2026	aliases	EUVD
Nov 2, 2026	first indexed	CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2020-28039 is a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.1) in Wordpress, published October 31, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 4.11%, the 90th percentile. Fixed in wordpress 5.5.2.

References

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