What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-16521?

CVE-2019-16521 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1 (Medium). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N. EPSS exploitation probability: 1.4%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2019-16521?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2019-16521. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 1.4%.

Broken Link Checker CVE-2019-16521

MEDIUM

Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79)

2019-10-16 cve@mitre.org

WordPress XSS Broken Link Checker Wordpress Plugin Managewp

6.1

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

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Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-79 OWASP Top 10:2025 A05:2025 - Injection ASVS 5.0 V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Output encoding, context-aware escaping MITRE ATT&CK 2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. Sign in to read
Impact	CVSS score of 6.1 (MEDIUM). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required. Public proof-of-concept exploit code is available.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	A remote attacker could inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users by sending crafted requests to the affected application. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).

No patch listed yet 1.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

The broken-link-checker plugin through 1.11.8 for WordPress (aka Broken Link Checker) is susceptible to Reflected XSS due to improper encoding and insertion of an HTTP GET parameter into HTML. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Sanitize all user input, use Content-Security-Policy headers, encode output contextually (HTML, JS, URL). Use frameworks with built-in XSS protection.

Affects your stack

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Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79), which allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The broken-link-checker plugin through 1.11.8 for WordPress (aka Broken Link Checker) is susceptible to Reflected XSS due to improper encoding and insertion of an HTTP GET parameter into HTML. The filter function on the page listing all detected broken links can be exploited by providing an XSS payload in the s_filter GET parameter in a filter_id=search request. NOTE: this is an end-of-life product. Affected products include: Managewp Broken Link Checker. Version information: through 1.11.8.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 6.1 MEDIUM

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

DescriptionNVD

The broken-link-checker plugin through 1.11.8 for WordPress (aka Broken Link Checker) is susceptible to Reflected XSS due to improper encoding and insertion of an HTTP GET parameter into HTML. The filter function on the page listing all detected broken links can be exploited by providing an XSS payload in the s_filter GET parameter in a filter_id=search request. NOTE: this is an end-of-life product.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

1.4%

Top 31% exploitable

Exploit

POC

Public exploit code exists

Data Quality

3 sources

Confidence: Low

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

GitHub

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity MEDIUM

CISA KEV No

Public POC Yes

EPSS 1.4%

Patch available No

Active threat No

Deciding rule

MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.