Plugins · betterlinks · data as of 2026-11-04
Is BetterLinks safe? Known vulnerabilities and latest version
- Latest version
- 3.1.6
- Last updated
- 2026-11-01
- Active installs
- 20,000+
- Known issues on record
- 4
- Unpatched in latest
- 0
- Tested up to WP
- 7.1.4 · PHP 7.4+
Shorten, cloak, redirect & track every link in WordPress. Branded short URLs, click analytics, affiliate links & MCP access for AI assistants. — by WPDeveloper
What to do
- Update to the latest version (3.1.6). Anything older than 3.1.1 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 betterlinks --field=version shows what you run; wp plugin update betterlinks updates it.
Check your version
Known vulnerabilities
4 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 4.3 CVE-2026-19801 · published 2026-08-25
Missing authorization check in BetterLinks (3.1.0 and older)
- Affected
- 3.1.0 and older
- Fixed in
- 3.1.1 *
- Access needed (per CVSS)
- Needs a low-level account (e.g. subscriber)
- Range from
- CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Wordfence
Details from the advisory
The BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.0. This is due to the plugin not properly verifying that a user is authorized to perform an action. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to create arbitrary BetterLinks short URLs with attacker-controlled slugs and redirect destinations, enabling phishing and SEO abuse. Exploitation requires the Fluent Boards companion plugin to be installed and active (so that the FLUENT_BOARDS constant is defined), and is further facilitated by the betterlinks_admin_nonce nonce being emitted on every frontend page via wp_localize_script, making it accessible to any authenticated user.
NVD CVE-2026-19801Wordfence advisoryCode change (fix)Plugin source
high 8.8 CVE-2023-45104 · published 2025-01-02
Missing authorization check in BetterLinks (1.6.0 and older)
- Affected
- 1.6.0 and older
- Fixed in
- 1.6.1
- Access needed (per CVSS)
- Needs a low-level account (e.g. subscriber)
- Range from
- CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by NVD
Details from the advisory
Missing Authorization vulnerability in WPDeveloper BetterLinks betterlinks allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects BetterLinks: from n/a through <= 1.6.0.
high 7.2 CVE-2024-51672 · published 2024-11-04
SQL injection in BetterLinks (2.1.7 and older)
- Affected
- 2.1.7 and older
- Fixed in
- 2.1.8
- Access needed (per CVSS)
- Needs an admin-level account
- Range from
- CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by NVD
Details from the advisory
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in WPDeveloper BetterLinks betterlinks allows SQL Injection.This issue affects BetterLinks: from n/a through <= 2.1.7.
medium 5.4 CVE-2021-24812 · published 2021-11-23
Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) in BetterLinks (older than 1.2.6)
- Affected
- older than 1.2.6
- Fixed in
- 1.2.6
- 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
- NVD analysis · score by NVD
Details from the advisory
The BetterLinks WordPress plugin before 1.2.6 does not sanitise and escape some of imported link fields, which could lead to Stored Cross-Site Scripting issues when an admin import a malicious CSV.
Recent activity
- 2026-11-01 — latest release on wordpress.org (3.1.6).
- 2026-08-25 — Missing authorization check disclosed (CVE-2026-19801), fixed in 3.1.1.
- 2025-01-02 — Missing authorization check disclosed (CVE-2023-45104), fixed in 1.6.1.
- 2024-11-04 — SQL injection disclosed (CVE-2024-51672), fixed in 2.1.8.
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Browse vulnerabilities
- Published this week
- Unpatched in the latest version
- By type of vulnerability
- Plugins by WPDeveloper (12 tracked)
Types found in this plugin: Missing authorization (2) · SQL injection (1) · Cross-site scripting (XSS) (1)
Where this data comes from
- Version, last update, installs: wordpress.org/plugins/betterlinks (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/betterlinks"><img src="https://laskyr.com/plugins/betterlinks/badge.svg" alt="BetterLinks vulnerability status"></a>