Description
In WordPress before 4.9.9 and 5.x before 5.0.1, the user-activation page could be read by a search engine's web crawler if an unusual configuration were chosen. The search engine could then index and display a user's e-mail address and (rarely) the password that was generated by default.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | wordpress | 5.0.1+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | wordpress | 5.0.1+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | wordpress | 5.0.1+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 9 | wordpress | 4.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u5 | DSA-4401-1 |
| Debian 8 | wordpress | 4.1.25+dfsg-1+deb8u1 | DLA-1673-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | wordpress | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | wordpress | No fix yet | — |
Advisories 2
- DSA-4401-1 wordpress - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-1673-1 wordpress - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 106220 vdb-entry
- https://wordpress.org/support/wordpress-version/version-5-0-1/
- https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9174
- https://codex.wordpress.org/Version_4.9.9
- DSA-4401 vendor-advisory
- https://wordpress.org/news/2018/12/wordpress-5-0-1-security-release/
- [debian-lts-announce] 20190211 [SECURITY] [DLA 1673-1] wordpress security update mailing-list
- https://www.zdnet.com/article/wordpress-plugs-bug-that-led-to-google-indexing-some-user-passwords/