CVE-2020-28039

CRITICALNVD 9.19.1—
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence

Score 9.1 from GitHub Security Advisory (severity: CRITICAL) published 2022-05-24. NVD baseline CVSS 9.1; sources differ by 0.0.

Triggered by: GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
Sources: epss, ghsa, nvd
9.1EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
  • High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 4.1%CVSS: 9.1Exploit: None knownExposed services: Not assessed

A fix is available — apply it.

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.

CVSS v3
9.1
EG Score
9.1CRITICALmedium confidence
EG Risk
47
EG Risk 47/100CISA SSVC

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity91% × 45%
Exploitation4% × 40%
Automatability30% × 15%
CISA SSVC: Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* or Attend at high (mission-essential systems).
Action: A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines at low or medium mission impact and sooner than that at high.
EPSS PROB
4.1%
EPSS %ILE
90th
KEV
Not listed

CISA SSVCTrack at low or medium mission impact; Track* or Attend at high (mission-essential systems).

A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines at low or medium mission impact and sooner than that at high.

Exploitation none (no KEV listing, exploit record or EPSS ≥ 50%) · Automatable unknown (not published for this CVE) · Technical impact total (CVSS ≥ 9.0). Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it: high means the affected system is essential to your organisation's mission, or its compromise could cause irreversible harm to people. CISA's decision table

Published

November 2, 2020

Last Modified

November 21, 2024

Advisory Details (7)

Auto-updated Jul 22, 2026
Patch available. Sources: github_commit.
generic Patch Available

[SECURITY] [DLA 2429-1] wordpress security update

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/11/msg00004.html
github_commit

commit d5ddd6d4be1b (WordPress/wordpress-develop)

Fix landed in WordPress/wordpress-develop commit d5ddd6d4be1b — awaiting tagged release

https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/commit/d5ddd6d4be1bc9fd16b7796842e6fb26315705ad
generic

[SECURITY] [DSA 4784-1] wordpress security update

https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4784
generic

WordPress 5.5.2 Security and Maintenance Release – WordPress News

https://wordpress.org/news/2020/10/wordpress-5-5-2-security-and-maintenance-release/
generic

[SECURITY] Fedora 33 Update: wordpress-5.5.3-1.fc33 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/VUXVUAKL2HL4QYJEPHBNVQQWRMFMII2Y/
generic

[SECURITY] Fedora 31 Update: wordpress-5.5.3-1.fc31 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/VAVVYJKA2I6CRQUINECDPBGWMQDEG244/
generic

[SECURITY] Fedora 32 Update: wordpress-5.5.3-1.fc32 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CHHVNK2WYAM3ZTCXTFSEIT56IKLVJHU3/

Affected Packages

(6 across 6 ecosystems)
Debian:10(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
wordpress5.0.10+dfsg1-0+deb10u1, 5.0.4+dfsg1-1, 5.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u1, 5.0.4+dfsg1-1+deb10u2
  • every version up to 5.0.11+dfsg1-0+deb10u1: fixed in 5.0.11+dfsg1-0+deb10u1
—
Debian:11(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
wordpress—
  • every version up to 5.5.3+dfsg1-1: fixed in 5.5.3+dfsg1-1
—
Debian:12(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
wordpress—
  • every version up to 5.5.3+dfsg1-1: fixed in 5.5.3+dfsg1-1
—
Debian:13(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
wordpress—
  • every version up to 5.5.3+dfsg1-1: fixed in 5.5.3+dfsg1-1
—
Debian:14(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
wordpress—
  • every version up to 5.5.3+dfsg1-1: fixed in 5.5.3+dfsg1-1
—
Debian:9(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
wordpress4.7.18+dfsg-1+deb9u1 ... 4.7.5+dfsg-2+deb9u6 (10 versions)
  • every version up to 4.7.19+dfsg-1+deb9u1: fixed in 4.7.19+dfsg-1+deb9u1
—

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 5× in last 7d / 22× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 100 of 148 total refreshes for this CVE.

  1. 2026-10-05 17:39 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-10-03 14:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-09-30 15:17 UTCEG score recompute
  4. 2026-09-30 14:59 UTCEPSS rescore
  5. 2026-09-29 15:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  6. 2026-09-27 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
  7. 2026-09-26 15:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-09-26 15:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-09-24 14:00 UTCEPSS rescore
  10. 2026-09-22 14:43 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-09-21 20:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-09-19 23:45 UTCOSV refresh
  13. 2026-09-19 15:37 UTCEPSS rescore
  14. 2026-09-18 19:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-09-17 19:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-09-16 14:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  17. 2026-09-15 03:06 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-09-12 14:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-09-11 09:32 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-09-08 21:56 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-09-07 15:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-09-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-09-05 15:24 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-09-04 13:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  25. 2026-09-04 05:03 UTCEPSS rescore
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-09-02 14:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-09-01 03:32 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-09-01 03:05 UTCOSV refresh
  4. 2026-08-30 19:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  5. 2026-08-30 01:18 UTCEPSS rescore
  6. 2026-08-27 14:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  7. 2026-08-26 14:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-08-25 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-08-21 23:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  10. 2026-08-20 22:52 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-08-19 17:00 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-08-18 13:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  13. 2026-08-17 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
  14. 2026-08-16 14:52 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-08-16 02:11 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-08-15 02:30 UTCOSV refresh
  17. 2026-08-15 01:26 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-08-13 21:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-08-12 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-08-09 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-08-08 16:33 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-08-07 16:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-08-06 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-08-04 15:06 UTCEPSS rescore
  25. 2026-08-04 10:34 UTCEPSS rescore
  26. 2026-08-02 02:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  27. 2026-08-01 04:12 UTCEPSS rescore
  28. 2026-07-30 16:25 UTCEPSS rescore
  29. 2026-07-30 14:44 UTCOSV refresh
  30. 2026-07-30 01:27 UTCEPSS rescore
  31. 2026-07-28 15:33 UTCEPSS rescore
  32. 2026-07-26 14:51 UTCEPSS rescore
  33. 2026-07-25 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  34. 2026-07-24 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  35. 2026-07-23 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  36. 2026-07-23 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  37. 2026-07-23 01:52 UTCEG score recompute
  38. 2026-07-22 22:38 UTCEG score recompute
  39. 2026-07-22 14:05 UTCEPSS rescore
  40. 2026-07-21 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  41. 2026-07-21 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  42. 2026-07-20 17:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  43. 2026-07-20 17:04 UTCEPSS rescore
  44. 2026-07-19 14:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  45. 2026-07-19 14:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  46. 2026-07-19 02:26 UTCEPSS rescore
  47. 2026-07-19 02:26 UTCEPSS rescore
  48. 2026-07-16 16:59 UTCEPSS rescore
  49. 2026-07-15 16:55 UTCEPSS rescore
  50. 2026-07-15 16:55 UTCEPSS rescore
  51. 2026-07-15 01:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  52. 2026-07-13 22:27 UTCEPSS rescore
  53. 2026-07-13 22:27 UTCEPSS rescore
  54. 2026-07-13 00:07 UTCOSV refresh
  55. 2026-07-12 05:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  56. 2026-07-11 08:25 UTCEPSS rescore
  57. 2026-07-11 08:25 UTCEPSS rescore
  58. 2026-07-09 19:07 UTCEPSS rescore
  59. 2026-07-08 15:12 UTCEPSS rescore
  60. 2026-07-07 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
  61. 2026-07-06 16:25 UTCEPSS rescore
  62. 2026-07-06 16:25 UTCEPSS rescore
  63. 2026-07-06 02:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  64. 2026-07-06 02:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  65. 2026-07-04 06:29 UTCEPSS rescore
  66. 2026-07-04 06:29 UTCEPSS rescore
  67. 2026-06-30 23:20 UTCEPSS rescore
  68. 2026-06-30 23:20 UTCEPSS rescore
  69. 2026-06-28 04:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  70. 2026-06-28 04:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  71. 2026-06-27 03:06 UTCEPSS rescore
  72. 2026-06-27 03:06 UTCEPSS rescore
  73. 2026-06-25 13:48 UTCEPSS rescore
  74. 2026-06-24 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore
  75. 2026-06-24 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore

Related CVEs(same product)

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2020-28039?
CVE-2020-28039 is a critical vulnerability published on November 2, 2020. isprotectedmeta 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.
When was CVE-2020-28039 disclosed?
CVE-2020-28039 was first published on November 2, 2020, with the most recent update on November 21, 2024. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2020-28039 actively exploited?
CVE-2020-28039 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 4.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (90th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs).
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-28039?
CVE-2020-28039 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.1 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2020-28039?
A fix for CVE-2020-28039 is available: update to the fixed version the vendor names in its advisory.

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