Is WP Post Author safe to use?

Laskyr does not give safety verdicts. No known unpatched vulnerabilities in the latest version (4.2.0). As of 2026-11-04. 10 issues are on record for older versions; version 4.2.0 or newer fixes all of them that state a fix. Keep WP Post Author on the latest version (4.2.0) and remove it if you do not use it.

Which versions of WP Post Author are vulnerable?

Known issues on record (newest first): Missing authorization check (older than 4.2.0, fixed in 4.2.0); Information disclosure (older than 4.2.0, fixed in 4.2.0); SQL injection (4.0.0 and older, fixed in 4.0.1); SQL injection (3.9.1 and older, fixed in 3.10.0); SQL injection (3.8.2 and older, fixed in 3.8.3); SQL injection (3.8.1 and older, fixed in 3.10.0). The full list with sources is on this page.

What is the latest version of WP Post Author?

4.2.0, according to wordpress.org (last updated 2026-10-20). It has 10,000+ active installs.

What should I do if my WP Post Author is out of date?

Take a backup, then update it from Dashboard > Updates (or run wp plugin update wp-post-author). 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 · wp-post-author · data as of 2026-11-04

Is WP Post Author safe? Known vulnerabilities and latest version

Latest version: 4.2.0
Last updated: 2026-10-20
Active installs: 10,000+
Known issues on record: 10
Unpatched in latest: 0
Tested up to WP: 7.1.4

WP Post Author is the ultimate solution for an Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors, and Local Avatars. Easily manage Author Bios, Co-authors, … — by AF themes

What to do

Update to the latest version (4.2.0). Anything older than 4.2.0 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 wp-post-author --field=version shows what you run; wp plugin update wp-post-author updates it.

Check your version

Known vulnerabilities

10 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.

low 3.7 CVE-2026-108685 · published 2026-10-29

Missing authorization check in WP Post Author (older than 4.2.0)

Affected: older than 4.2.0
Fixed in: 4.2.0
Access needed (per CVSS): No login needed
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by CISA ADP

Details from the advisory

The WP Post Author WordPress plugin before 4.2.0 does not check that the account was created before updating its profile during front-end registration, allowing unauthenticated users to overwrite the display name, nickname and website of the first user account, which is normally the administrator, when a registration form declares one of those fields.

NVD CVE-2026-108685 WPScan advisory

low 3.7 CVE-2026-108686 · published 2026-10-29

Information disclosure in WP Post Author (older than 4.2.0)

Affected: older than 4.2.0
Fixed in: 4.2.0
Access needed (per CVSS): No login needed
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by CISA ADP

Details from the advisory

The WP Post Author WordPress plugin before 4.2.0 does not restrict the integration settings it returns to visitors, allowing unauthenticated users to read the reCAPTCHA secret key when one has been saved.

NVD CVE-2026-108686 WPScan advisory

high 7.6 CVE-2026-42708 · published 2026-10-07

SQL injection in WP Post Author (4.0.0 and older)

Affected: 4.0.0 and older
Fixed in: 4.0.1
Access needed (per CVSS): Needs an admin-level account
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Patchstack

Details from the advisory

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in AF themes WP Post Author wp-post-author allows Blind SQL Injection.This issue affects WP Post Author: from n/a through 4.0.0.

NVD CVE-2026-42708 Patchstack advisory

medium 6.5 CVE-2026-11977 · published 2026-08-05

SQL injection in WP Post Author (3.9.1 and older)

Affected: 3.9.1 and older
Fixed in: 3.10.0 *
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 WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to generic SQL Injection via the 'wpma_metabox_authors_list' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 3.9.1 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database. Exploitation is a two-step chain: an attacker first saves a crafted guest-author token via the wpma_metabox_authors_list parameter during post creation or editing, then triggers the injection when any admin user loads the post list screen at /wp-admin/edit.php, causing the injected SQL result to be rendered in the Authors column.

NVD CVE-2026-11977 Wordfence advisory Code change (fix)Plugin source

high 8.5 CVE-2026-57643 · published 2026-06-26

SQL injection in WP Post Author (3.9.1 and older)

Affected: 3.9.1 and older
Fixed in: 3.10.0
Access needed (per CVSS): Needs a low-level account (e.g. subscriber)
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Patchstack

Details from the advisory

Contributor SQL Injection in WP Post Author <= 3.9.1 versions.

NVD CVE-2026-57643 Patchstack advisory

high 7.2 CVE-2024-56247 · published 2025-01-02

SQL injection in WP Post Author (3.8.2 and older)

Affected: 3.8.2 and older
Fixed in: 3.8.3
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 AF themes WP Post Author wp-post-author allows SQL Injection.This issue affects WP Post Author: from n/a through <= 3.8.2.

NVD CVE-2024-56247 Patchstack advisory

high 7.2 CVE-2024-8757 · published 2024-10-12

SQL injection in WP Post Author (3.8.1 and older)

Affected: 3.8.1 and older
Fixed in: 3.10.0 *
Access needed (per CVSS): Needs an admin-level account
Range from: CVE record (the advisory publisher) · score by Wordfence

Details from the advisory

The WP Post Author – Boost Your Blog's Engagement with Author Box, Social Links, Co-Authors, Guest Authors, Post Rating System, and Custom User Registration Form Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to time-based SQL Injection via the linked_user_id parameter in all versions up to, and including, 3.8.1 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.

NVD CVE-2024-8757 Wordfence advisory Code change (fix)github.com Plugin source

medium 5.4 CVE-2024-37101 · published 2024-07-22

Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) in WP Post Author (3.6.7 and older)

Affected: 3.6.7 and older
Fixed in: 3.6.8
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 NVD

Details from the advisory

Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in AF themes WP Post Author allows Stored XSS.This issue affects WP Post Author: from n/a through 3.6.7.

NVD CVE-2024-37101 Patchstack advisory

medium 4.3 CVE-2024-34387 · published 2024-05-06

Missing authorization check in WP Post Author (3.6.4 and older)

Affected: 3.6.4 and older
Fixed in: 3.7.2 *
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 AF themes WP Post Author.This issue affects WP Post Author: from n/a through 3.6.4.

NVD CVE-2024-34387 Patchstack advisory

medium 4.3 CVE-2024-34389 · published 2024-05-06

Missing authorization check in WP Post Author (3.6.4 and older)

Affected: 3.6.4 and older
Fixed in: 3.7.2 *
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 AF themes WP Post Author.This issue affects WP Post Author: from n/a through 3.6.4.

NVD CVE-2024-34389 Patchstack advisory

Recent activity

2026-10-20 — latest release on wordpress.org (4.2.0).
2026-10-29 — Missing authorization check disclosed (CVE-2026-108685), fixed in 4.2.0.
2026-10-29 — Information disclosure disclosed (CVE-2026-108686), fixed in 4.2.0.
2026-10-07 — SQL injection disclosed (CVE-2026-42708), fixed in 4.0.1.

Free. We check the CVE feeds every day and email you only when a new issue for WP Post Author (wp-post-author) is published or a fix ships. Unsubscribe in one click.

Browse vulnerabilities

Types found in this plugin: SQL injection (5) · Missing authorization (3) · Sensitive data exposure (1) · Cross-site scripting (XSS) (1)

Where this data comes from

Version, last update, installs: wordpress.org/plugins/wp-post-author (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/wp-post-author"><img src="https://laskyr.com/plugins/wp-post-author/badge.svg" alt="WP Post Author vulnerability status"></a>

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Is WP Post Author safe? Known vulnerabilities and latest version

No known unpatched vulnerabilities in the latest version (4.2.0)

What to do

Check your version

Known vulnerabilities

Missing authorization check in WP Post Author (older than 4.2.0)

Information disclosure in WP Post Author (older than 4.2.0)

SQL injection in WP Post Author (4.0.0 and older)

SQL injection in WP Post Author (3.9.1 and older)

SQL injection in WP Post Author (3.9.1 and older)

SQL injection in WP Post Author (3.8.2 and older)

SQL injection in WP Post Author (3.8.1 and older)

Stored cross-site scripting (XSS) in WP Post Author (3.6.7 and older)

Missing authorization check in WP Post Author (3.6.4 and older)

Missing authorization check in WP Post Author (3.6.4 and older)

Recent activity

Get an email when WP Post Author has a new vulnerability

Browse vulnerabilities

Where this data comes from