CVE-2021-36888: WordPress Image Hover Effects Ultimate plugin <= 9.6.1 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update leading to full website compromise

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 6.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: yes
Published: 2021-12-15 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-284

Description

Unauthenticated Arbitrary Options Update vulnerability leading to full website compromise discovered in Image Hover Effects Ultimate (versions <= 9.6.1) WordPress plugin.

Affected products

Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon: before 9.6.1 — fixed in 9.6.1

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon 9.6.1. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/image-hover-effects-ultimate/wordpress-image-hover-effects-ultimate-plugin-9-6-1-unauthenticated-arbitrary-options-update-leading-to-full-website-compromise
https://wordpress.org/plugins/image-hover-effects-ultimate/#developers
https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/image-hover-effects-ultimate/wordpress-image-hover-effects-ultimate-plugin-9-6-1-unauthenticated-arbitrary-options-update-leading-to-full-website-compromise
https://wordpress.org/plugins/image-hover-effects-ultimate/#developers

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