Blog

"Prevention is cheaper than a breach"

Home / Threats / CVE-2021-24537

CVE-2021-24537 - Similar Posts Plugin

CVE-2021-24537

The Similar Posts WordPress plugin through 3.1.5 allow high privilege users to execute arbitrary PHP code in an hardened environment (ie with DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT, DISALLOW_FILE_MODS and DISALLOW_UNFILTERED_HTML set to true) via the 'widget_rrm_similar_posts_condition' widget setting of the plugin.

CVE-2021-24537

HIGH CVSS 7.2 Published 2021-11-08 Updated 2024-11-21
AI Risk Elevated (66/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P3 Priority
Severity Band HIGH
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Components 2
Reference Links 1
AI Risk Engine Elevated (66/100)
Exploitability Medium
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2021-11-08 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2024-11-21 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-04-10 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 5 days ago

AI enriched 5 days ago (2026-04-10 20:42 UTC)

Technical Summary

The Similar Posts WordPress plugin through 3.1.5 allow high privilege users to execute arbitrary PHP code in an hardened environment (ie with DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT, DISALLOW_FILE_MODS and DISALLOW_UNFILTERED_HTML set to true) via the 'widget_rrm_similar_posts_condition' widget setting of the plugin.

Potential Impact

Severity is HIGH (CVSS 7.2). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as Medium based on severity and technical exposure profile.

Primary risk drivers: severity and technical exposure profile

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

AI risk score 66/100 (Elevated, Medium) with priority P3 Priority. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

Similar Posts PLUGIN · similar-posts Affected: <= 3.1.5 Fixed version not specified
Through 3 PLUGIN · through-3 Affected range not specified Fixed version not specified
Scroll to top