Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A vulnerable WordPress privacy-compliance plugin allowed anyone on the internet to import or export its settings without logging in. An attacker could change plugin behavior, including redirecting site visitors to malicious destinations. Business impact is highest for public WordPress sites using Ultimate GDPR & CCPA version 2.4 or older.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for any public WordPress site using this plugin. The issue can affect visitor trust and brand safety through malicious redirects, even without server takeover evidence in the provided sources.
Technical view
CVE-2021-4348 is a missing authorization issue in Ultimate GDPR & CCPA Compliance Toolkit for WordPress. The reported vulnerable functions are export_settings and import_settings through version 2.4. CVSS 3.1 is 7.5 with network access, low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites with Ultimate GDPR & CCPA Compliance Toolkit installed at version 2.4 or older. Public-facing WordPress sites are the primary concern. The bundle does not prove exposure for other plugins or platforms.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Risk remains meaningful because exploitation is unauthenticated, network reachable, and requires no user interaction. Reported outcomes include unauthorized settings changes and malicious visitor redirects.
Researcher notes
The CVE record identifies CWE-862 and describes unauthenticated import/export of plugin settings. The affected-version metadata in the bundle is inconsistent, but the title and description clearly state versions up to and including 2.4. Confirm exact fixed-version status from vendor or referenced advisories.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the Ultimate GDPR & CCPA plugin and installed version.
- Remove or disable vulnerable versions until vendor-supported remediation is verified.
- Check Wordfence, Nintechnet, and vendor guidance for fixed-version or replacement recommendations.
- Review plugin settings for unauthorized redirects or unexpected configuration changes.
- Increase monitoring on affected WordPress sites for suspicious configuration activity.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether any WordPress instance runs Ultimate GDPR & CCPA version 2.4 or older.
- Review plugin configuration for unexpected redirect destinations or changed privacy-banner behavior.
- Check web logs for unauthenticated requests related to settings import or export actions.
- Verify current plugin behavior requires authorization before settings import or export.
- Document affected sites, plugin version, remediation action, and validation date.
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 lookupCVE-2021-4348 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
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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:H/I:N/A:N3.93.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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.