Description
Wordpress is an open source CMS. A user with the ability to upload files (like an Author) can exploit an XML parsing issue in the Media Library leading to XXE attacks. This requires WordPress installation to be using PHP 8. Access to internal files is possible in a successful XXE attack. This has been patched in WordPress version 5.7.1, along with the older affected versions via a minor release. We strongly recommend you keep auto-updates enabled.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress | wordpress-develop | >= 5.6.0, < 5.7.1 | — |
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 | 5.7.1+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | wordpress | 5.7.1+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | wordpress | 5.7.1+dfsg1-1 | — |
| Debian 10 | wordpress | 5.0.12+dfsg1-0+deb10u1 | DSA-4896-1 |
| Debian 9 | wordpress | 4.7.20+dfsg-1+deb9u1 | DLA-2630-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | wordpress | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | wordpress | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | wordpress | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | wordpress | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | wordpress | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | wordpress | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | wordpress | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | wordpress | No fix yet | — |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Exploit-DB 1
- WordPress 5.7 - 'Media Library' XML External Entity Injection (XXE) (Authenticated) EDB-50304 · webapps · Sep 20, 2021
GitHub 24 repositories · most starred shown
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motikan2010/CVE-2021-29447 ★ 44 · Apr 16, 2021
WordPress - Authenticated XXE (CVE-2021-29447)
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mega8bit/exploit_cve-2021-29447 ★ 7 · Nov 14, 2022
-
0xRar/CVE-2021-29447-PoC ★ 6 · Jan 24, 2023
A proof of concept exploit for a wordpress 5.6 media library vulnerability
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M3l0nPan/wordpress-cve-2021-29447 ★ 4 · Nov 11, 2022
Exploit WordPress Media Library XML External Entity Injection (XXE) to exfiltrate files.
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Vulnmachines/wordpress_cve-2021-29447 ★ 4 · May 23, 2021
WordPress XXE vulnerability
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thomas-osgood/CVE-2021-29447 ★ 3 · Nov 15, 2022
A Golang program to automate the execution of CVE-2021-29447
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elf1337/blind-xxe-controller-CVE-2021-29447 ★ 3 · Nov 6, 2022
Arbitrary file read controller based on CVE-2021-29447
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dnr6419/CVE-2021-29447 ★ 3 · Jun 1, 2021
Wordpress XXE injection 구축 자동화 및 PoC
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Tea-On/CVE-2021-29447-Authenticated-XXE-WordPress-5.6-5.7 ★ 2 · Jul 4, 2025
POC to exploit WordPress 5.6-5.7 (PHP 8+) Authenticated XXE Injection.
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Abdulazizalsewedy/CVE-2021-29447 ★ 2 · Nov 17, 2022
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 2
- DSA-4896-1 wordpress - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-2630-1 wordpress - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/security/advisories/GHSA-rv47-pc52-qrhh
- https://wordpress.org/news/category/security/
- [debian-lts-announce] 20210421 [SECURITY] [DLA 2630-1] wordpress security update mailing-list
- DSA-4896 vendor-advisory
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/163148/XML-External-Entity-Via-MP3-File-Upload-On-WordPress.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164198/WordPress-5.7-Media-Library-XML-Injection.html
- https://blog.sonarsource.com/wordpress-xxe-security-vulnerability/