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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Wordfence

CVE-2021-4374: WordPress Automatic Plugin <= 3.53.2 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update

Noroxi assessment

Priority: This week (action score 60/100)

  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit, Nuclei); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • A ready-made attack tool exists and the flaw can be exploited over the network without an account, so priority is at least “This week”.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 16.4% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 96.9% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
  • Fixed version: ValvePress WordPress Automatic Plugin 3.53.3.

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window. Upgrade to ValvePress WordPress Automatic Plugin 3.53.3 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

The WordPress Automatic Plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary options updates in versions up to, and including, 3.53.2. This is due to missing authorization and option validation in the process_form.php file. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to arbitrarily update the settings of a vulnerable site and ultimately compromise the entire site.

CriticalCVSS 9.8 · v3.1—Weaponized Fix available
Published
Jun 6, 2023
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
16.4% · 96th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

60

This week

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window.

CVSS
39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
5 / 30 · 16.4%
Ready-made attack tool
16 / 60 · floor: at least 60

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
9.8
CNA · Wordfence
9.1
0.7 point gap

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Is Automatic on your site?

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Is Automatic on your site?

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
valvepresswordpress automatic plugin

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • valvepress wordpress automatic pluginup to 3.53.2 inclusive

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Wordfence). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • ValvePress WordPress Automatic Plugin

    • before 3.53.3affected · semver

Same product

valvepress: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2025-5395WordPress Automatic Plugin - AI content generator and auto poster plugin <= 3.115.0 - Authenticated (Author+) Arbitrary File Upload
    35Monitor
  • CVE-2024-4849WordPress Automatic <= 3.94.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via autoplay Parameter
    25Monitor
  • CVE-2025-6247WordPress Automatic Plugin - AI content generator and auto poster plugin <= 3.118.0 - Cross-Site Request Forgery to Stored Cross-Site Scripting
    18Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
ValvePress WordPress Automatic Plugin3.53.3Vendor (CNA)

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×1
  • Nuclei detection template ×1

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Metasploit moduleauxiliary/admin/http/wp_automatic_plugin_privescWordPress Plugin Automatic Config Change to RCEauxiliary2021-09-06
Nuclei detection templateNuclei template CVE-2021-4374 —

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. Metasploit-639 d
  2. Published
  3. TodayOct 28, 2026+1239 d
EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-862 · Missing Authorization

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records