Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-39355 is a stored cross-site scripting flaw in the Indeed Job Importer WordPress plugin through version 1.0.5. It requires administrative access, so the main business risk is compromised or malicious admins persisting script into the site despite HTML restrictions.
Executive priority
Handle as a moderate-priority WordPress hardening item. It is not presented as remotely exploitable by anonymous users, but it can matter where admin accounts are shared, weakly protected, or exposed to phishing.
Technical view
The plugin insufficiently validates and sanitizes several parameters in indeed-job-importer.php, enabling authenticated stored XSS by administrative users. The CVSS 3.1 score is 5.5 with high privileges required, changed scope, and low confidentiality and integrity impact. Sources identify CWE-79 and affected version 1.0.5 and earlier.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress installations running Indeed Job Importer up to 1.0.5, especially multisite environments or sites where unfiltered_html is disabled. The attacker needs administrative user access, reducing broad internet exposure but leaving risk from compromised admin accounts.
Exploitation context
The provided bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. The public references include advisory and code/proof-of-concept material, so defenders should treat it as publicly known but not confirmed actively exploited from these sources.
Researcher notes
Evidence is specific to authenticated stored XSS in indeed-job-importer.php parameters. The bundle does not identify a fixed version or vendor patch details. Avoid assuming exploitation beyond the public advisory, CVE metadata, and cited proof-of-concept reference.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for Indeed Job Importer versions 1.0.5 or earlier.
- Check vendor or WordPress plugin guidance for a fixed release before updating.
- Disable or remove the plugin where business use is not required.
- Limit and review WordPress administrator accounts, especially on multisite deployments.
- Audit affected plugin settings and stored content for unexpected scripts.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Indeed Job Importer is installed on each WordPress site.
- Record installed plugin versions and flag 1.0.5 or earlier.
- Identify sites or multisite networks where unfiltered_html is disabled.
- Review recent administrator activity for unexpected plugin configuration changes.
- Safely inspect rendered plugin-controlled content for unauthorized script injection.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-39355 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.32.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/vulnerability-advisories/#CVE-2021-39355CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/indeed-job-importer/trunk/indeed-job-importer.php#L224CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/BigTiger2020/word-press/blob/main/Indeed%20Job%20Importer.mdCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.