CVE-2020-36854
CVSS 6.4 Medium
- CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
- Published: 2025-10-18T04:16:04.037
The Async JavaScript plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting in versions up to, and including, 2.19.07.14. This is due to missing authorization checks on the aj_steps AJAX aciton along with a lack on sanitization on the settings saved via the function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber level permissions and above to inject malicious web scripts into a page that execute whenever a user accesses that page.
Related CVE by CWE
No related CWE found.
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No vendor taxonomy on this entry.
Recently Exploited Similar Vulnerabilities
No recent KEV-listed items for this vendor/product.
How to fix CVE-2020-36854
CVE-2020-36854 is a medium severity vulnerability affecting the affected product.
Description: The Async JavaScript plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting in versions up to, and including, 2.19.07.14. This is due to missing authorization checks on the aj_steps AJAX aciton along with a lack on sanitization on the settings saved via the function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber level permissions […]
Exploit Difficulty: EASY
⏱️ Time to exploit: < 1 hour
🛠️ Required skills: Basic web security knowledge
💰 Public exploits: Likely available
How to Fix:
- Check if you're running the affected product
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
Description: The Async JavaScript plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting in versions up to, and including, 2.19.07.14. This is due to missing authorization checks on the aj_steps AJAX aciton along with a lack on sanitization on the settings saved via the function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with subscriber level permissions […]
Exploit Difficulty: EASY
⏱️ Time to exploit: < 1 hour
🛠️ Required skills: Basic web security knowledge
💰 Public exploits: Likely available
How to Fix:
1 Identify affected systems
- Check if you're running the affected product
2 Immediate actions
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
3 Verification
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
4 Long-term prevention
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
Exploit Difficulty Assessment
EASY
Time to Exploit: < 1 hour
Skills Required: Basic web security knowledge
Public Exploits: Likely available
Vulnerability Timeline
Oct 18, 2025
Vulnerability Published
CVE details first published to NVD database
Nov 12, 2025
Imported to Database
Added to this CVE tracking system
Detection Rules & IOCs
No specific detection rules generated for this vulnerability type.
No vendor/product data available.