CVE-2019-16220
In WordPress before 5.2.3, validation and sanitization of a URL in wp_validate_redirect in wp-includes/pluggable.php could lead to an open redirect if a provided URL path does not start with a forward slash.
Does this matter?
Lower severity and a low EPSS score (2.55%). Track it; it rarely justifies an emergency change on its own.
Description
In WordPress before 5.2.3, validation and sanitization of a URL in wp_validate_redirect in wp-includes/pluggable.php could lead to an open redirect if a provided URL path does not start with a forward slash.
- CVSS 3.1
- 6.1 MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
- EPSS
- 2.55% probability · 85th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-601
- Affected
- wordpress/wordpress · debian/debian linux
- Source
- cve@mitre.org
EPSS 2.5% since 27 October 2026; no change recorded yet. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
References
- https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/45971Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://github.com/WordPress/WordPress/commit/c86ee39ff4c1a79b93c967eb88522f5c09614a28Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/10/msg00023.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/8Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://wordpress.org/news/2019/09/wordpress-5-2-3-security-and-maintenance-release/Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9863Third Party Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4599Third Party Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4677Third Party Advisory
- https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/45971Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://github.com/WordPress/WordPress/commit/c86ee39ff4c1a79b93c967eb88522f5c09614a28Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/10/msg00023.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://medium.com/@theodorejackson.us/rediscovering-an-old-vulnerability-cve-2019-16220-d25cc441752f
- https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/8Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://wordpress.org/news/2019/09/wordpress-5-2-3-security-and-maintenance-release/Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9863Third Party Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4599Third Party Advisory
- https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4677Third Party Advisory
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.