Is Better Search safe to use?

Laskyr does not give safety verdicts. No known unpatched vulnerabilities in the latest version (4.5.4). As of 2026-11-04. 6 issues are on record for older versions; version 4.5.3 or newer fixes all of them that state a fix. Keep Better Search on the latest version (4.5.4) and remove it if you do not use it.

Which versions of Better Search are vulnerable?

Known issues on record (newest first): Missing authorization check (4.5.2 and older, fixed in 4.5.3); Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) (4.2.1 and older, fixed in 4.2.2); Cross-site scripting (XSS) (4.1.0 and older, fixed in 4.1.1); Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) (3.3.0 and older, fixed in 3.3.1); Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) (2.5.2 and older, fixed in 2.5.3); Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) (older than 2.5.3, fixed in 2.5.3). The full list with sources is on this page.

What is the latest version of Better Search?

4.5.4, according to wordpress.org (last updated 2026-11-03). It has 5,000+ active installs.

What should I do if my Better Search is out of date?

Take a backup, then update it from Dashboard > Updates (or run wp plugin update better-search). If you cannot update right away, deactivate it until you can. If you think the site was already attacked, run a free scan at https://laskyr.com/scan.

Plugins · better-search · data as of 2026-11-04

Is Better Search safe? Known vulnerabilities and latest version

Latest version: 4.5.4
Last updated: 2026-11-03
Active installs: 5,000+
Known issues on record: 6
Unpatched in latest: 0
Tested up to WP: 7.1.4 · PHP 7.4+

Better Search replaces the default WordPress search with a better search engine that gives contextual results sorted by relevance. — by Ajay

What to do

Update to the latest version (4.5.4). Anything older than 4.5.3 has at least one known issue listed below. Dashboard → Updates, or Plugins → “update now”.
If you cannot update right away, deactivate it until you can.
Turn on auto-updates for it: Plugins → “Enable auto-updates” on its row.
If you ran a vulnerable version and something looks off (spam pages, strange admins, redirects), run the free scan.

With WP-CLI: wp plugin get better-search --field=version shows what you run; wp plugin update better-search updates it.

Check your version

Known vulnerabilities

6 on record, newest first. “Affected” is the version range the source gives; “fixed in” is the version the source names, or (marked *) the first wordpress.org release after the last affected version.

medium 5.3 CVE-2026-119495 · published 2026-11-03

Missing authorization check in Better Search (4.5.2 and older)

Affected: 4.5.2 and older
Fixed in: 4.5.3
Access needed (per CVSS): No login needed
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Patchstack

Details from the advisory

Missing Authorization vulnerability in WebberZone Better Search better-search allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Better Search: from n/a through 4.5.2.

NVD CVE-2026-119495 Patchstack advisory

medium 5.9 CVE-2026-24938 · published 2026-02-03

Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) in Better Search (4.2.1 and older)

Affected: 4.2.1 and older
Fixed in: 4.2.2
Access needed (per CVSS): Needs an admin-level account; someone on the site has to click a link or open a page
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Patchstack

Details from the advisory

Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Ajay Better Search better-search allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Better Search: from n/a through <= 4.2.1.

NVD CVE-2026-24938 Patchstack advisory

medium 6.5 CVE-2025-47507 · published 2025-05-07

Cross-site scripting (XSS) in Better Search (4.1.0 and older)

Affected: 4.1.0 and older
Fixed in: 4.1.1
Access needed (per CVSS): Needs a low-level account (e.g. subscriber); someone on the site has to click a link or open a page
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Patchstack

Details from the advisory

Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Ajay Better Search better-search allows DOM-Based XSS.This issue affects Better Search: from n/a through <= 4.1.0.

NVD CVE-2025-47507 Patchstack advisory

high 7.1 CVE-2024-29142 · published 2024-03-19

Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) in Better Search (3.3.0 and older)

Affected: 3.3.0 and older
Fixed in: 3.3.1
Access needed (per CVSS): No login needed; someone on the site has to click a link or open a page
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Patchstack

Details from the advisory

Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in WebberZone Better Search – Relevant search results for WordPress allows Stored XSS.This issue affects Better Search – Relevant search results for WordPress: from n/a through 3.3.0.

NVD CVE-2024-29142 Patchstack advisory

medium 4.3 CVE-2021-4400 · published 2023-07-01

Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) in Better Search (2.5.2 and older)

Affected: 2.5.2 and older
Fixed in: 2.5.3 *
Access needed (per CVSS): No login needed; someone on the site has to click a link or open a page
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Wordfence

Details from the advisory

The Better Search plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in versions up to, and including, 2.5.2. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the bsearch_process_settings_import() and bsearch_process_settings_export() functions. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to import and export settings via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.

NVD CVE-2021-4400 Wordfence advisory Code change (fix)blog.nintechnet.com blog.nintechnet.com blog.nintechnet.com blog.nintechnet.com

medium 4.3 CVE-2021-4373 · published 2023-06-07

Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) in Better Search (older than 2.5.3)

Affected: older than 2.5.3
Fixed in: 2.5.3
Access needed (per CVSS): No login needed; someone on the site has to click a link or open a page
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by NVD

Details from the advisory

The Better Search plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in versions up to, and including, 2.5.2. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to import settings via forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.

NVD CVE-2021-4373 Wordfence advisory Code change (fix)blog.nintechnet.com

Recent activity

2026-11-03 — latest release on wordpress.org (4.5.4).
2026-11-03 — Missing authorization check disclosed (CVE-2026-119495), fixed in 4.5.3.
2026-02-03 — Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) disclosed (CVE-2026-24938), fixed in 4.2.2.
2025-05-07 — Cross-site scripting (XSS) disclosed (CVE-2025-47507), fixed in 4.1.1.

Free. We check the CVE feeds every day and email you only when a new issue for Better Search (better-search) is published or a fix ships. Unsubscribe in one click.

Browse vulnerabilities

Types found in this plugin: Cross-site scripting (XSS) (3) · Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) (2) · Missing authorization (1)

Where this data comes from

Version, last update, installs: wordpress.org/plugins/better-search (Plugins API), fetched 2026-11-04.
Vulnerabilities: NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD), checked 2026-11-04. This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
Each record links to its CVE page and to the original advisory (Wordfence, Patchstack or WPScan) where there is one. We only list a CVE here when its references or its advisory name this exact plugin, so a few real issues may be missing; none should be about a different plugin. Spot an error? Email Daniel.

Badge for your site or docs (states facts with a date, not a verdict):

<a href="https://laskyr.com/plugins/better-search"><img src="https://laskyr.com/plugins/better-search/badge.svg" alt="Better Search vulnerability status"></a>

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Is Better Search safe? Known vulnerabilities and latest version

No known unpatched vulnerabilities in the latest version (4.5.4)

What to do

Check your version

Known vulnerabilities

Missing authorization check in Better Search (4.5.2 and older)

Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) in Better Search (4.2.1 and older)

Cross-site scripting (XSS) in Better Search (4.1.0 and older)

Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) in Better Search (3.3.0 and older)

Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) in Better Search (2.5.2 and older)

Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) in Better Search (older than 2.5.3)

Recent activity

Get an email when Better Search has a new vulnerability

Browse vulnerabilities

Where this data comes from