Description
In wp-includes/formatting.php in WordPress 3.7 to 5.3.0, the function wp_targeted_link_rel() can be used in a particular way to result in a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability. 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.
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 | 5.3.2+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | wordpress | 5.3.2+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | wordpress | 5.3.2+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 10 | wordpress | 5.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u1 | DSA-4599-1 |
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 1
- DSA-4599-1 wordpress - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9975
- https://wordpress.org/news/2019/12/wordpress-5-3-1-security-and-maintenance-release/
- https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/46894/trunk
- https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/commit/1f7f3f1f59567e2504f0fbebd51ccf004b3ccb1d
- https://blog.ripstech.com/filter/vulnerabilities/
- 20200108 [SECURITY] [DSA 4599-1] wordpress security update mailing-list
- DSA-4599 vendor-advisory
- https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/security/advisories/GHSA-xvg2-m2f4-83m7
- https://hackerone.com/reports/509930
- DSA-4677 vendor-advisory