WordPress 4.2.1 is an outdated version that poses significant security risks to your website. Our security analysis discovered 32 vulnerabilities affecting this version, including 4 critical flaws that could lead to remote code execution, unauthorized file access, and complete site compromise. If your WordPress installation is still running this legacy version, you're exposing your business, customer data, and reputation to cybercriminals actively exploiting these known weaknesses.
This comprehensive guide walks you through identifying if you're using WordPress 4.2.1, understanding the specific threats you face, and implementing the essential security fixes to protect your website. Whether you're a small business owner or managing multiple WordPress sites, taking action now is crucial to prevent breaches that could cost thousands in recovery and damage control.
WordPress 4.2.1 was released in 2015 as a maintenance update to WordPress's 4.2 version. While it addressed some vulnerabilities at the time, it has since become a security liability as developers have uncovered numerous flaws through years of active exploitation and research. Running outdated WordPress versions is like leaving your front door unlocked—it invites attackers to freely access your site's files, databases, and sensitive information.
Today, WordPress 4.2.1 is considered legacy software with zero security support from the WordPress development team. This means no patches are released for newly discovered vulnerabilities, and your site becomes increasingly vulnerable with each passing month. The plugins commonly used with this version, such as XCloner Backup, Etoile Ultimate Product Catalog, and MultiVendorX, contain critical flaws that amplify the risk significantly.
32 CVEs found. The most critical are explained below.
The XCloner backup plugin has a serious flaw that lets attackers with login access modify your website files, including PHP files that run your site. This is like leaving the front door unlocked for someone to rearrange your entire house.
Impact: A hacker could take complete control of your website, steal customer data, inject malware, or shut down your site entirely. Your visitors could be infected with malware.
↗ View on NVDThe Etoile Ultimate Product Catalog plugin has a vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious commands directly into your website's database. Think of it as someone being able to secretly access and manipulate all your business records.
Impact: Attackers could steal your product information, customer details, or modify pricing and orders without your knowledge. Your entire product catalog could be corrupted.
↗ View on NVDThe XCloner plugin lacks protection against CSRF attacks, which means hackers can trick your logged-in administrators into performing actions they didn't intend, like deleting backups or changing settings.
Impact: Your admin accounts could be manipulated to delete critical backups, change security settings, or grant unauthorized access without anyone realizing it happened.
↗ View on NVDThe MultiVendorX plugin has a flaw that allows unauthenticated hackers to access sensitive files on your server that should be hidden. Attackers don't even need a login to exploit this vulnerability.
Impact: Private configuration files containing database passwords and API keys could be exposed. Attackers could use this information to gain complete access to your website and database.
↗ View on NVDThe Side Menu Lite plugin doesn't properly verify that admin actions are legitimate, allowing hackers to trick your administrators into deleting or modifying website elements through deceptive links.
Impact: Your site's navigation and buttons could be deleted or modified without permission. This could damage user experience and potentially expose your site to further attacks.
↗ View on NVDThe WPC Smart Messages plugin allows users with basic access levels to view and execute private files that should be restricted. This is a file exposure vulnerability that bypasses security controls.
Impact: Attackers with low-level access could read sensitive configuration files, extract database credentials, and potentially take over your entire WordPress installation.
↗ View on NVDShowing first 10 of 26. View all on NVD ↗
| CVE ID | Severity | Score | Published | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-3064 | HIGH | 8.8 | 2025-04-08 | The WPFront User Role Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.1. This is due to missing or incorrect nonc… |
| CVE-2024-13489 | HIGH | 7.5 | 2025-02-19 | The LTL Freight Quotes – Old Dominion Edition plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to SQL Injection via the 'edit_id' and 'dropship_edit_id' parameters in all versions up to, and in… |
| CVE-2022-2565 | HIGH | 7.2 | 2022-09-05 | The Simple Payment Donations & Subscriptions WordPress plugin before 4.2.1 does not sanitise and escape user input given in its forms, which could allow unauthenticated attackers … |
| CVE-2025-9519 | HIGH | 7.2 | 2025-09-04 | The Easy Timer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.1 via the plugin's shortcodes. This is due to insufficient res… |
| CVE-2021-38312 | HIGH | 7.1 | 2021-09-02 | The Gutenberg Template Library & Redux Framework plugin <= 4.2.11 for WordPress used an incorrect authorization check in the REST API endpoints registered under the “redux/v1/temp… |
| CVE-2024-10891 | MEDIUM | 6.4 | 2024-11-20 | The Save as PDF Plugin by Pdfcrowd plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'save_as_pdf_pdfcrowd' shortcode in all versions up to, and i… |
| CVE-2024-11902 | MEDIUM | 6.4 | 2024-12-17 | The Slope Widgets plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'slope-reservations' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.12 du… |
| CVE-2025-8618 | MEDIUM | 6.4 | 2025-08-20 | The WPC Smart Quick View for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's woosq_btn shortcode in all versions up to, and includin… |
| CVE-2026-2986 | MEDIUM | 6.4 | 2026-04-18 | The Contextual Related Posts plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'other_attributes' parameter in versions up to, and including, 4.2.1 due to … |
| CVE-2017-12200 | MEDIUM | 6.1 | 2017-08-02 | The Etoile Ultimate Product Catalog plugin 4.2.11 for WordPress has XSS in the Add Product Manually component. |
| CVE-2024-2189 | MEDIUM | 6.1 | 2024-05-21 | The Social Icons Widget & Block by WPZOOM WordPress plugin before 4.2.18 does not sanitise and escape some of its Widget settings, which could allow high privilege users such as a… |
| CVE-2024-11809 | MEDIUM | 6.1 | 2024-12-13 | The Primer MyData for Woocommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the 'img_src' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.1 due … |
| CVE-2024-13865 | MEDIUM | 6.1 | 2025-05-15 | The S3Player WordPress plugin through 4.2.1 does not sanitise and escape a parameter before outputting it back in the page, leading to a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting which coul… |
| CVE-2023-2415 | MEDIUM | 5.4 | 2023-06-03 | The Online Booking & Scheduling Calendar for WordPress by vcita plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the vc… |
| CVE-2021-38314 | MEDIUM | 5.3 | 2021-09-02 | The Gutenberg Template Library & Redux Framework plugin <= 4.2.11 for WordPress registered several AJAX actions available to unauthenticated users in the `includes` function in `r… |
| CVE-2024-11282 | MEDIUM | 5.3 | 2025-01-07 | The Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.10 via the WordPre… |
| CVE-2025-2789 | MEDIUM | 5.3 | 2025-04-05 | The MultiVendorX – Empower Your WooCommerce Store with a Dynamic Multivendor Marketplace – Build the Next Amazon, eBay, Etsy plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized los… |
| CVE-2025-3281 | MEDIUM | 5.3 | 2025-05-06 | The User Registration & Membership – Custom Registration Form, Login Form, and User Profile plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Insecure Direct Object Reference in all versions … |
| CVE-2022-1028 | MEDIUM | 4.8 | 2022-06-27 | The WordPress Security Firewall, Malware Scanner, Secure Login and Backup plugin before 4.2.1 does not sanitise and escape some of its settings, leading to malicious users with ad… |
| CVE-2024-13730 | MEDIUM | 4.8 | 2025-05-15 | The Podlove Podcast Publisher WordPress plugin before 4.2.1 does not sanitise and escape some of its settings, which could allow high privilege users such as admin to perform Stor… |
| CVE-2015-3440 | MEDIUM | 4.3 | 2015-08-03 | Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in wp-includes/wp-db.php in WordPress before 4.2.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a long comment that … |
| CVE-2024-4086 | MEDIUM | 4.3 | 2024-05-02 | The CM Tooltip Glossary – Powerful Glossary Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.11. This is due to mi… |
| CVE-2024-10437 | MEDIUM | 4.3 | 2024-10-29 | The WPC Smart Messages for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized Smar Message activation/deactivation due to a missing capability check on the ajax_enable… |
| CVE-2025-13794 | MEDIUM | 4.3 | 2025-12-16 | The Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check on the bulk_action_generate… |
| CVE-2023-3947 | LOW | 3.7 | 2023-07-26 | The Video Conferencing with Zoom plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure due to hardcoded encryption key on the 'vczapi_encrypt_decrypt' function in v… |
| CVE-2026-9065 | N/A | — | 2026-05-20 | SureCart version prior to 4.2.1 are vulnerable to authenticated SQL injection via multiple parameters ('model_name', 'model_id', 'integration_id', 'provider') on the REST API endp… |
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WordPress 4.2.1 represents a critical security risk that demands immediate action. With 32 known vulnerabilities—including four critical flaws enabling remote code execution and SQL injection—continuing to run this version puts your entire digital presence at stake. Hackers actively target outdated WordPress installations because they know defenders often neglect legacy systems, making them easy victims.
Don't wait for a breach to take action. SiteRecipe.com's comprehensive security platform automatically scans your WordPress site for all known vulnerabilities, provides step-by-step remediation guidance, and continuously monitors for emerging threats. Whether you're updating today or need professional help securing your legacy WordPress installation, our expert team is ready to help. Start your free vulnerability scan at SiteRecipe.com now and join thousands of website owners who've already protected their digital assets.
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