The easy-wp-smtp plugin before 1.4.4 for WordPress allows Administrator account takeover, as exploited in the wild in December 2020. If an attacker can list the wp-content/plugins/easy-wp-smtp/ directory, then they can discover a log file (such as #############_debug_log.txt) that contains all password-reset links. The attacker can request a reset of the Administrator password and then use a link found there.
CVE-2020-35234
Score elevated to 8.4 because EPSS predicts 65% probability of exploitation within the next 30 days (top 0.8% of all CVEs). NVD baseline CVSS 7.5 retained for reference. Confidence: see factors.
- High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 65%
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 7.5
- EG Score
- 8.4(high)
- EG Risk
- 68(Track)EG Risk 68/100SSVC: Track
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 computedSeverity84% × 45%Exploitation65% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS
- 99.2%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
December 14, 2020
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
References (4)
- cve@mitrehttps://blog.nintechnet.com/wordpress-easy-wp-smtp-plugin-fixed-zero-day-vulnerability/
- cve@mitrehttps://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-wp-smtp/#developers
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://blog.nintechnet.com/wordpress-easy-wp-smtp-plugin-fixed-zero-day-vulnerability/
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-wp-smtp/#developers
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 8× in last 7d / 28× 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.
- 2026-07-23 01:53 UTCEG score recompute▲ 0.90
- 2026-07-22 22:39 UTCEG score recompute
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- 2026-06-25 13:48 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-23 04:17 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-23 04:17 UTCGHSA enrichment
Publicly available exploits
(2 references)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Metasploit module). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Metasploitauxiliary/scanner/http/wp_easy_wp_smtp✓ verifiedFirst seen Dec 6, 2020
WordPress Easy WP SMTP Password Reset
Open source ↗ - Nucleihttp/cves/2020/CVE-2020-35234.yamlFirst seen Jan 1, 2020
SMTP WP Plugin Directory Listing
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-532
- CVE-2016-0898EG 10.0CRITICAL
- CVE-2018-17922EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2018-1264NVD 9.1EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2018-16049EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2018-11717EG 9.8EPSS 95%CRITICAL
- CVE-2018-11716EG 9.8EPSS 96%CRITICAL
- CVE-2018-0042EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2018-1072NVD 5.0EG 9.8MEDIUM
- CVE-2018-1117NVD 5.0EG 9.8MEDIUM
- CVE-2018-11320EG 9.8CRITICAL
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2020-35234?
When was CVE-2020-35234 disclosed?
Is CVE-2020-35234 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-35234?
How do I remediate CVE-2020-35234?
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2020-35234
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