Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This affects WordPress sites using the Contact Form With Captcha plugin up to version 1.6.2. A missing anti-CSRF check in form submission handling could let an attacker cause script injection in a user’s browser. The public bundle does not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for affected WordPress sites, especially public websites handling customer inquiries. The issue can affect confidentiality and integrity through browser-side script execution, but current evidence does not show confirmed active exploitation.
Technical view
CVE-2021-42358 is a CWE-352 CSRF issue in cfwc-form.php during contact form submission, leading to reflected XSS. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.8 with network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, and user interaction required.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress sites with Contact Form With Captcha version 1.6.2 or earlier installed and reachable contact form functionality enabled.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as KEV in the provided bundle. Exploitation requires user interaction, and the sources do not provide evidence of real-world exploitation or a public exploit.
Researcher notes
The source bundle identifies missing nonce validation in cfwc-form.php and classifies the weakness as CWE-352. It does not include a fixed version, patch details, or exploitation telemetry, so remediation should be tied to current vendor or trusted advisory guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for Contact Form With Captcha installations.
- Identify any plugin version 1.6.2 or earlier.
- Check vendor or Wordfence guidance for fixed versions or mitigations.
- Update, disable, or remove affected plugin deployments if no safe version is confirmed.
- Review dependent contact-form workflows before disabling production forms.
Validation and detection
- Confirm plugin presence and exact version on each WordPress site.
- Verify whether cfwc-form.php exists in the installed plugin package.
- Check public pages for active forms using this plugin.
- Review security logs for suspicious form-submission patterns.
- Confirm remediation by rechecking plugin version or removal status.
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-352: 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-2021-42358 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
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/contact-form-with-captcha/trunk/cfwc-form.php#L17CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://wordfence.com/vulnerability-advisories/#CVE-2021-42358CVE 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.
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.