CVE-2021-29447

HIGH LAB

WordPress 5.6.0-5.7.0 - Authenticated XML External Entity Injection via Media Library File Upload

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 24 public exploits for CVE-2021-29447. PoCs published by David Utón, motikan2010, mega8bit.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This exploit leverages an XXE vulnerability in WordPress 5.6-5.7 via the Media Library to read arbitrary files from the server. It authenticates as a WordPress user, uploads a malicious WAV file containing an XXE payload, and exfiltrates the target file's contents via a controlled HTTP server.

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.

Exploits (24)

exploitdb WORKING POC
by David Utón · bashwebappsphp
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/50304

This exploit leverages an XXE vulnerability in WordPress 5.6-5.7 via the Media Library to read arbitrary files from the server. It authenticates as a WordPress user, uploads a malicious WAV file containing an XXE payload, and exfiltrates the target file's contents via a controlled HTTP server.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6-5.7
Auth required
Prerequisites: valid WordPress credentials · network access to the target · ability to host an HTTP server for payload delivery and data exfiltration
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 43 stars
by motikan2010 · poc
https://github.com/motikan2010/CVE-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-29447, an XXE vulnerability in WordPress 5.6-5.7. It includes a malicious WAV file generator and a Docker-based environment to demonstrate the exploit, which leverages XXE to exfiltrate data via a crafted WAV file uploaded to WordPress.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6-5.7 with PHP 8
Auth required
Prerequisites: Authenticated WordPress user with Author+ privileges · Ability to upload media files · Network access to attacker-controlled server
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 7 stars
by mega8bit · poc
https://github.com/mega8bit/exploit_cve-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-29447, which leverages an XXE (XML External Entity) vulnerability in WordPress 5.6.2 with PHP 8 to exfiltrate arbitrary files from the server. The exploit generates a malicious .wav file payload and uses a local server to capture the exfiltrated data.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6.2 with PHP 8
Auth required
Prerequisites: Access to wp-admin · Ability to upload media files
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 6 stars
by 0xRar · poc
https://github.com/0xRar/CVE-2021-29447-PoC

This repository contains a functional PoC for CVE-2021-29447, an XXE vulnerability in WordPress 5.6-5.7. The exploit automates the creation of malicious WAV and DTD files to exfiltrate system files via the Media Library.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6 - 5.7 (with PHP 8)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Author-level access to WordPress · PHP 8 environment · Network connectivity to attacker-controlled server
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 4 stars
by M3l0nPan · poc
https://github.com/M3l0nPan/wordpress-cve-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional Python exploit for CVE-2021-29447, an authenticated XXE vulnerability in WordPress Media Library. The exploit uses a malicious WAV file with embedded XML to exfiltrate files from the target system via a locally hosted server.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress < 5.7.1
Auth required
Prerequisites: Valid WordPress credentials · Access to WordPress Media Library · Local server to host malicious DTD file
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec STUB 4 stars
by Vulnmachines · poc
https://github.com/Vulnmachines/wordpress_cve-2021-29447

The repository contains only a README file with minimal information, crediting another GitHub user but providing no exploit code or technical details. It lacks any functional PoC or analysis.

Classification
Stub 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: WordPress
No auth needed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 3 stars
by thomas-osgood · poc
https://github.com/thomas-osgood/CVE-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional Go-based exploit for CVE-2021-29447, a WordPress Media vulnerability involving malicious WAV and DTD file uploads. The PoC automates the generation of exploit files, login, and upload to trigger the vulnerability, with options for file leakage and deflate compression.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress (specific version not specified in provided code)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Valid WordPress credentials · Network access to the target WordPress site · Ability to upload files
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 3 stars
by elf1337 · poc
https://github.com/elf1337/blind-xxe-controller-CVE-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-29447, a WordPress XXE vulnerability in the Media Library. It automates the creation of a malicious WAV file, sets up a listener for blind XXE data exfiltration, and handles authentication and file upload to exploit the vulnerability.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress (versions 5.7, 5.6.2, 5.6.1, 5.6, 5.0.11)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Authenticated WordPress user with media upload permissions · Network access to the target WordPress instance · Ability to host a malicious DTD file on an attacker-controlled server
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 3 stars
by dnr6419 · poc
https://github.com/dnr6419/CVE-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-29447, an XXE vulnerability in WordPress's media library. The PoC demonstrates how a malicious WAV file with embedded XML can exfiltrate sensitive data (e.g., /etc/passwd) via an external DTD.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6.2 with PHP 8.0
Auth required
Prerequisites: WordPress installation with media upload access · Attacker-controlled server to host malicious DTD
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 2 stars
by Tea-On · poc
https://github.com/Tea-On/CVE-2021-29447-Authenticated-XXE-WordPress-5.6-5.7

This repository contains a functional Python exploit for CVE-2021-29447, an authenticated XXE vulnerability in WordPress 5.6-5.7. The exploit leverages WAV metadata to trigger out-of-band exfiltration of sensitive files via a crafted DTD.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6-5.7
Auth required
Prerequisites: WordPress admin credentials · Network access to the target WordPress instance · Ability to host an HTTP server for DTD delivery
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP 2 stars
by Abdulazizalsewedy · poc
https://github.com/Abdulazizalsewedy/CVE-2021-29447

This repository provides a detailed technical analysis of CVE-2021-29447, an XXE vulnerability in WordPress's Media Library. It explains the root cause, exploitation steps, and the patch applied, but does not include functional exploit code.

Classification
Writeup 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress (versions before 5.7.1)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Authenticated user with upload privileges (e.g., Author role) · Ability to craft and upload a malicious WAVE file
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP 1 stars
by ArtemCyberLab · poc
https://github.com/ArtemCyberLab/Project-Project-Chimera-Exploiting-a-Modern-WordPress-XXE-to-Pillage-Secrets-

This repository provides a detailed technical walkthrough of exploiting CVE-2021-29447, an XXE vulnerability in WordPress, to achieve remote code execution. It includes step-by-step instructions, payloads, and post-exploitation techniques.

Classification
Writeup 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6.2
Auth required
Prerequisites: WordPress installation with vulnerable media library · Network access to target · Valid credentials for initial access
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 1 stars
by b-abderrahmane · poc
https://github.com/b-abderrahmane/CVE-2021-29447-POC

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-29447, which leverages an XXE vulnerability in WordPress's media upload functionality to exfiltrate files from the target system. The script generates a malicious .wav file and a DTD payload, sets up an HTTP server to receive exfiltrated data, and decodes the extracted files.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress (unspecified version)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Access to WordPress media upload functionality · Network connectivity to the attacker's HTTP server
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 1 stars
by Val-Resh · poc
https://github.com/Val-Resh/CVE-2021-29447-POC

This repository contains a functional Python exploit for CVE-2021-29447, which leverages an XXE vulnerability in WordPress to exfiltrate files. The exploit authenticates to WordPress, uploads a malicious WAV file containing XXE payload, and uses a local HTTP server to receive exfiltrated data.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress versions 5.7, 5.6.2, 5.6.1, 5.6, 5.0.11
Auth required
Prerequisites: Valid WordPress credentials · Network access to target WordPress instance · Ability to host a local HTTP server
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by danilo1992-sys · poc
https://github.com/danilo1992-sys/CVE-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-29447, an XXE vulnerability in WordPress 5.7.0 and earlier. The exploit generates a malicious WAV file with embedded XXE payloads to exfiltrate arbitrary files from the target server via HTTP requests.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.7.0 and earlier
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Bash · Python 3 · Vulnerable WordPress instance
devstral-2 · analyzed Mar 21, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by rdana55 · poc
https://github.com/rdana55/CVE-2021-29447-PoC

This repository contains a functional proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2021-29447, an XXE injection vulnerability in WordPress 5.6–5.7 when running PHP 8.0+. The exploit leverages the getID3 library's handling of WAV file iXML chunks to trigger external entity substitution, leading to arbitrary file disclosure.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6–5.7 with PHP 8.0+
Auth required
Prerequisites: Authenticated user with Author+ privileges · WordPress 5.6–5.7 with PHP 8.0+ · Ability to upload WAV files
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 19, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by davids52 · poc
https://github.com/davids52/cve-2021-29447_auto-script

This repository contains a functional exploit script for CVE-2021-29447, an XXE vulnerability in WordPress's Media Library. The script automates the creation of a malicious WAV file with embedded XML, uploads it to a target WordPress site, and exfiltrates data via an XXE attack.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6 to 5.7
Auth required
Prerequisites: WordPress installation running on PHP 8 · Valid WordPress credentials · Network access to the target
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 19, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by 0xricksanchez · poc
https://github.com/0xricksanchez/CVE-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional exploit generator for CVE-2021-29447, which leverages XXE vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins (e.g., BookingPress < 1.0.11) by embedding malicious XML payloads in WAV file iXML metadata chunks. The exploit generates a WAV file that, when parsed by the vulnerable software, triggers an XXE attack to exfiltrate data to an attacker-controlled server.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress BookingPress Plugin < 1.0.11
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Attacker-controlled server to host DTD file · Ability to upload WAV file to target system
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 19, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by magicrc · poc
https://github.com/magicrc/CVE-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-29447, an XXE vulnerability in WordPress 5.6 and 5.7 using PHP 8. The exploit uploads a malicious WAV file containing an XXE payload to exfiltrate local files from the target system.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6, 5.7 with PHP 8
Auth required
Prerequisites: Valid WordPress credentials · Ability to upload files to the Media Library · Network connectivity to the attacker's server
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by specializzazione-cyber-security · poc
https://github.com/specializzazione-cyber-security/demo-CVE-2021-29447-lezione

This repository contains a functional proof-of-concept for CVE-2021-29447, an XXE vulnerability in WordPress 5.6-5.7. It includes a malicious WAV file generator, a Docker-based WordPress environment, and an attacker server to exfiltrate data via XXE.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6-5.7
Auth required
Prerequisites: Docker · Node.js · WordPress instance with Author+ privileges
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by viardant · poc
https://github.com/viardant/CVE-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2021-29447, an XXE injection vulnerability in WordPress 5.6-5.7 (PHP 8+). The exploit includes a Python script (`lfi.py`) that authenticates to a WordPress site and leverages XXE to exfiltrate files via a PHP-based listener (`grab.php`).

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6-5.7 (PHP 8+)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Valid WordPress credentials · PHP 8+ environment · Network access to the target WordPress site
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by G01d3nW01f · poc
https://github.com/G01d3nW01f/CVE-2021-29447

This repository contains a functional Python script that generates a malicious WAV file and DTD file to exploit CVE-2021-29447, an XXE vulnerability in WordPress 5.6-5.7. The exploit leverages XML External Entity (XXE) injection via a crafted WAV file to read arbitrary files from the server.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress 5.6-5.7
Auth required
Prerequisites: Authenticated WordPress user with Author+ privileges · Ability to upload files to the WordPress media library
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by AssassinUKG · poc
https://github.com/AssassinUKG/CVE-2021-29447

This repository provides a functional exploit for CVE-2021-29447, leveraging a malicious WAV file with embedded XML to perform arbitrary file disclosure and SSRF attacks on vulnerable WordPress installations. The PoC includes detailed steps for crafting the payload and executing the attack.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Ssrf | Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: WordPress (unspecified version)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Vulnerable WordPress installation · Ability to upload a malicious WAV file · Attacker-controlled server to host the DTD file
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →

References (7)

Core 7
Core References
Release Notes, Vendor Advisory x_refsource_misc
https://wordpress.org/news/category/security/
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory mailing-list x_refsource_mlist
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/04/msg00017.html
Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory x_refsource_debian
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4896
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry x_refsource_misc
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164198/WordPress-5.7-Media-Library-XML-Injection.html
Exploit, Third Party Advisory x_refsource_misc
https://blog.sonarsource.com/wordpress-xxe-security-vulnerability/

Scores

CVSS v3 7.1
EPSS 0.8572
EPSS Percentile 99.7%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N

Lab Environment

COMMUNITY
Community Lab
docker pull wordpress:5.7.0-php8.0
docker pull wordpress:5.6.2-php8.0-apache
+20 more repos

Details

CWE
CWE-611
Status published
Products (3)
debian/debian_linux 9.0
debian/debian_linux 10.0
wordpress/wordpress 5.6.0 - 5.7.1
Published Apr 15, 2021
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026