Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a WordPress plugin issue where an attacker could abuse a logged-in administrator’s browser to change plugin-related metadata. It is not described as a server takeover, and it requires tricking an administrator into taking an action. The business risk is unauthorized content or configuration changes on sites using Amministrazione Trasparente up to version 7.1.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate website integrity risk. Prioritize if the plugin is installed on public-sector, compliance, or high-trust WordPress properties where unauthorized metadata changes could create reputational or operational impact.
Technical view
CVE-2021-4398 is a CWE-352 CSRF issue in the Amministrazione Trasparente WordPress plugin. The at_save_aturl_meta() function had missing or incorrect nonce validation, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to cause metadata updates through a forged request when a site administrator interacts with attacker-controlled content. CVSS is 4.3 medium.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress sites with the Amministrazione Trasparente plugin installed at versions up to and including 7.1. The provided affected metadata is inconsistent, so teams should verify actual installed versions and vendor guidance rather than relying only on automated CPE matching.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires administrator user interaction, such as clicking a link, and would affect integrity by changing metadata rather than directly exposing data or causing availability loss.
Researcher notes
The core evidence identifies missing or incorrect nonce validation in at_save_aturl_meta(). The bundle does not name a specific fixed version, affected metadata fields, or active exploitation. Researchers should avoid assuming more impact than metadata update capability without reviewing the plugin diff and vendor records.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for Amministrazione Trasparente and record installed versions.
- Upgrade to a vendor-fixed release if available from official plugin sources.
- Disable or remove the plugin where it is not business-required.
- Warn WordPress administrators against unsolicited links while logged into admin sessions.
- Review vendor advisories and the referenced WordPress changeset before deployment.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether any site runs Amministrazione Trasparente version 7.1 or earlier.
- Review plugin code or changelog for nonce validation around at_save_aturl_meta().
- Check administrative audit trails for unexpected metadata changes.
- Validate in authorized staging that unauthorized cross-site requests are rejected.
- Confirm remediation through version inventory after updates or removal.
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-2021-4398 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
- 4.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N2.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/6358fc29-5b09-481a-9040-a7890b61f419?source=cveCVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/25-wordpress-plugins-vulnerable-to-csrf-attacks/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/more-wordpress-plugins-and-themes-vulnerable-to-csrf-attacks/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/multiple-wordpress-plugins-fixed-csrf-vulnerabilities-part-3/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/multiple-wordpress-plugins-fixed-csrf-vulnerabilities-part-2/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/multiple-wordpress-plugins-fixed-csrf-vulnerabilities-part-1/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/multiple-wordpress-plugins-fixed-csrf-vulnerabilities-part-5/CVE reference
- https://blog.nintechnet.com/multiple-wordpress-plugins-fixed-csrf-vulnerabilities-part-4/CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=2548741%40amministrazione-trasparente&new=2548741%40amministrazione-trasparente&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.
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.