Industry News · WordPress

WordPress 5.4.2 Security and Maintenance Release

Vinay Bansal
Vinay Bansal
WordPromise team
June 11, 2020
Updates

WordPress 5.4.2 is now available!

This security and maintenance release features 23 fixes and enhancements. Plus, it adds a number of security fixes. If you haven’t yet updated to 5.4, there are also updated versions of 5.3 and earlier that fix the bugs for you.

WordPress versions 5.4 and earlier are affected by the following bugs, which are fixed in version 5.4.2. If you haven’t yet updated to 5.4, there are also updated versions of 5.3 and earlier that fix the security issues.

  • An XSS issue where authenticated users with low privileges are able to add JavaScript to posts in the block editor.
  • Discovered an XSS issue where authenticated users with upload permissions are able to add JavaScript to media files.
  • Found an open redirect issue in wp_validate_redirect().
  • An authenticated XSS issue via theme uploads.
  • An issue where set-screen-optioncan be misused by plugins leading to privilege escalation.
  • An issue where comments from password-protected posts and pages could be displayed under certain conditions.

One maintenance update was also deployed to version 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3. For more info, browse the full list of changes on Trac or check out the Version 5.4.2 documentation page. WordPress 5.4.2 is a short-cycle maintenance release. The next major release will be version 5.5.

If you have the auto upgrade activated at your website, this must have been done by now or would be done shortly.

Vinay Bansal
Vinay Bansal

Writes for the WordPromise team on WordPress care, security and performance. Questions? Email info@wordpromise.com

Keep reading

More from Insights.

Related guides on WordPress security, speed and infrastructure.

Crawlsure: technical SEO and AI search for WordPress
WordPress
October 28, 2026
Crawlsure finds what holds your WordPress site back in Google and AI answers, explains it in plain English and fixes it, often
How continuous WordPress care keeps your site ahead of AI-powered attacks
Industry News · WordPress
September 25, 2026
AI helps attackers exploit WordPress plugin flaws within hours. Here’s how continuous, expert care keeps your site protected, updated and one step
WordPress website health check – speed, caching and performance
WordPress
August 25, 2026
A step-by-step technical audit for security, speed, SEO, and reliability — the way an experienced WordPress developer runs it.

Leave WordPress management to us.

Partner with WordPromise today — upgrades, security, performance and edits handled by a dedicated team, while you focus on your business.