CVE-2021-36888
published 2021-12-15CVE-2021-36888: Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update vulnerability leading to full website compromise discovered in Image Hover Effects Ultimate (versions <= 9.6.1)…
PriorityP180critical9.8CVSS 3.1
AVNACLPRNUINSUCHIHAH
ITWEXPLOITVulnCheck KEV
Exploited in the wild
EPSS
6.74%
93.1th percentile
Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update vulnerability leading to full website compromise discovered in Image Hover Effects Ultimate (versions <= 9.6.1) WordPress plugin.
Affected
2 ranges
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| blocksera | image_hover_effects | < 9.6.1 | 9.6.1 |
| oxilab | image_hover_effects_ultimate | <= 9.6.1 | — |
Detection & IOCsextracted from sources · hover to see the quote
- →Detect unauthenticated POST requests to the vulnerable REST API endpoint /wp-json/ImageHoverUltimate/v1/oxi_settings with no authentication headers. ↗
- →Successful exploitation returns HTTP 200 with the string 'oxi-confirmation-success' in the response body. ↗
- →Requests include the header X-Requested-With: XMLHttpRequest and Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded targeting the oxi_settings endpoint. ↗
- →The POST body contains a JSON-encoded 'rawdata' parameter used to overwrite arbitrary WordPress options (e.g., blogname), URL-encoded as rawdata=%7B%22name%22%3A... ↗
- ·Vulnerability affects Image Hover Effects Ultimate plugin versions <= 9.6.1 only; patched versions are not vulnerable. ↗
- ·The nuclei template is marked 'intrusive' — sending the exploit modifies live WordPress site options (e.g., blogname). Use only in authorized testing environments. ↗
CVSS provenance
nvdv3.19.8CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvdv2.07.5HIGHAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
vulncheck9.8CRITICAL
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GHSA
GHSA-8fjw-gv37-439q: Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update vulnerability leading to full website compromise discovered in Image Hover Effects Ultimate (versions <= 9
ghsa_unreviewed·2021-12-16
CVE-2021-36888 [CRITICAL] CWE-306 GHSA-8fjw-gv37-439q: Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update vulnerability leading to full website compromise discovered in Image Hover Effects Ultimate (versions <= 9
Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update vulnerability leading to full website compromise discovered in Image Hover Effects Ultimate (versions <= 9.6.1) WordPress plugin.
VulnCheck
blocksera image_hover_effects Improper Access Control
vulncheck·2021·CVSS 9.8
CVE-2021-36888 [CRITICAL] blocksera image_hover_effects Improper Access Control
blocksera image_hover_effects Improper Access Control
Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update vulnerability leading to full website compromise discovered in Image Hover Effects Ultimate (versions <= 9.6.1) WordPress plugin.
Affected: blocksera image_hover_effects
Required Action: Apply remediations or mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if remediation or mitigations are unavailable.
Exploitation References: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/image-hover-effects-ultimate/wordpress-image-hover-effects-ultimate-plugin-9-6-1-unauthenticated-arbitrary-options-update-leading-to-full-website-compromise; https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2026-03-09&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2021-36888; https://dashb
No detection rules found.
Nuclei
WordPress Image Hover Ultimate - Unauthenticated Settings Update
nuclei·CVSS 9.8
CVE-2021-36888 [CRITICAL] WordPress Image Hover Ultimate - Unauthenticated Settings Update
WordPress Image Hover Ultimate - Unauthenticated Settings Update
Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update vulnerability leading to full website compromise discovered in Image Hover Effects Ultimate (versions <= 9.6.1) WordPress plugin.
Template:
id: CVE-2021-36888
info:
name: WordPress Image Hover Ultimate - Unauthenticated Settings Update
author: riteshs4hu
severity: critical
description: |
Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update vulnerability leading to full website compromise discovered in Image Hover Effects Ultimate (versions <= 9.6.1) WordPress plugin.
impact: |
Attackers can fully compromise the website, leading to complete control and potential data theft or defacement.
remediation: |
Update to the latest version of the plugin, newer than 9.6.1.
reference:
- https://wpscan.com
No writeups or analysis indexed.
https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/image-hover-effects-ultimate/wordpress-image-hover-effects-ultimate-plugin-9-6-1-unauthenticated-arbitrary-options-update-leading-to-full-website-compromisehttps://wordpress.org/plugins/image-hover-effects-ultimate/#developershttps://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/image-hover-effects-ultimate/wordpress-image-hover-effects-ultimate-plugin-9-6-1-unauthenticated-arbitrary-options-update-leading-to-full-website-compromisehttps://wordpress.org/plugins/image-hover-effects-ultimate/#developers
2021-12-15
Published
Exploited in the wild