CVE-2011-4898

WordPress < 3.3.1 - Unauthenticated Sensitive Information Exposure via Installation Error Messages

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 1 public exploit for CVE-2011-4898. PoCs published by Trustwave's SpiderLabs.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This exploit demonstrates multiple vulnerabilities in WordPress 3.3.1 and prior, including PHP code execution, persistent XSS, and MySQL credential disclosure via the 'setup-config.php' installation page. It leverages a malicious MySQL instance to bypass authentication and inject malicious code.

Description

wp-admin/setup-config.php in the installation component in WordPress 3.3.1 and earlier generates different error messages for requests lacking a dbname parameter depending on whether the MySQL credentials are valid, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct brute-force attacks via a series of requests with different uname and pwd parameters. NOTE: the vendor disputes the significance of this issue; also, it is unclear whether providing intentionally vague error messages during installation would be reasonable from a usability perspective

Exploits (1)

exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by Trustwave's SpiderLabs · textwebappsphp
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/18417

This exploit demonstrates multiple vulnerabilities in WordPress 3.3.1 and prior, including PHP code execution, persistent XSS, and MySQL credential disclosure via the 'setup-config.php' installation page. It leverages a malicious MySQL instance to bypass authentication and inject malicious code.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Rce | Xss | Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 3.3.1 and prior
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to a malicious MySQL instance · Network access to the target WordPress installation
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (3)

Core 3
Core References
Exploit exploit x_refsource_exploit-db
http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/18417
Exploit mailing-list x_refsource_bugtraq
http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2012-01/0150.html

Scores

EPSS 0.0948
EPSS Percentile 94.8%

Details

CWE
CWE-200
Status published
Products (50)
wordpress/wordpress 0.7
wordpress/wordpress 0.71
wordpress/wordpress 0.72
wordpress/wordpress 0.711
wordpress/wordpress 1.0
wordpress/wordpress 1.0.1
wordpress/wordpress 1.0.2
wordpress/wordpress 1.2
wordpress/wordpress 1.2.1
wordpress/wordpress 1.2.2
... and 40 more
Published Jan 30, 2012
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026