Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-4345 affects the uListing WordPress plugin. In vulnerable versions up to and including 1.6.6, an unauthenticated attacker could change WordPress roles and capabilities because required authorization and nonce checks were missing.
Executive priority
Treat as a timely WordPress plugin remediation item. It is not KEV-confirmed exploited in the bundle, but unauthenticated role manipulation can weaken site governance and access control.
Technical view
The issue is an authorization bypass in UlistingUserRole::save_role_api, mapped to CWE-862. Network attackers need no account or user interaction. The published CVSS 3.1 score is 6.5, with low confidentiality and integrity impact and no availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress sites running the uListing plugin at versions up to 1.6.6. The source bundle’s affected-version metadata is sparse, so confirm installed plugin versions directly.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not cite CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Risk still matters because the bug is unauthenticated and targets WordPress role and capability controls, which are security-critical authorization data.
Researcher notes
The strongest evidence identifies missing capability and nonce checks in UlistingUserRole::save_role_api. The bundle includes Wordfence, Nintechnet, and WordPress Trac references, but does not provide detailed exploit telemetry or complete affected-version metadata.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the uListing plugin and installed version.
- Update uListing to a vendor-patched version if affected.
- If no patched release is confirmed, disable or remove the plugin temporarily.
- Review WordPress roles and capabilities for unauthorized additions or deletions.
- Check vendor and WordPress.org guidance for exact fixed-version details.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether uListing is installed on each WordPress instance.
- Verify no site is running uListing version 1.6.6 or earlier.
- Review role and capability records for unexpected changes.
- Check web and application logs for unauthenticated access to uListing role APIs.
- Confirm remediation through plugin version evidence, not package name alone.
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-862: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. 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 lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-4345 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
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N3.92.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/44e112a7-8f51-4d2a-a4b3-74a47ef3aec7?source=cveCVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/wordpress-ulisting-plugin-fixed-multiple-critical-vulnerabilities/CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=2456786%40ulisting&new=2456786%40ulisting&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=CVE reference
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.
Missing Authorization
Missing Authorization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.