Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-4417 affects the Forminator WordPress plugin through version 1.13.4. A malicious site could trick a logged-in administrator into triggering an unintended export of form submissions. The issue requires administrator interaction, but exposed form data may include sensitive customer or lead information.
Executive priority
Handle this as a moderate-priority WordPress exposure. It is not described as actively exploited, but it can expose submitted form data if an administrator is tricked. Patch during the next normal security maintenance window, sooner for sites handling regulated or sensitive submissions.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-352 CSRF caused by missing or incorrect nonce validation in Forminator's listen_for_saving_export_schedule() function. Sources describe unauthenticated attackers causing export of form submissions through a forged request if an administrator performs the attacker-controlled action. CVSS is 5.4, with low complexity and required user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running Forminator versions up to and including 1.13.4, especially sites collecting sensitive form submissions. Sites without the plugin, or running a fixed newer version, are not indicated as affected by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Practical exploitation depends on social engineering an authenticated site administrator into taking an action that submits a forged request.
Researcher notes
The CVE metadata includes inconsistent affected-product structure, but the narrative, Wordfence reference, Nintechnet fixed-vulnerability coverage, and WordPress Trac changeset support the Forminator <=1.13.4 CSRF assessment. Avoid assuming broader impact beyond export of form submissions from the provided evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Update Forminator to a fixed version newer than 1.13.4 or the current vendor release.
- Review vendor guidance and plugin changelog before relying on compensating controls.
- Limit WordPress administrator access to trusted users only.
- Treat stored form submissions as sensitive data and reduce retention where possible.
Validation and detection
- Inventory WordPress sites for Forminator and record installed plugin versions.
- Prioritize any instance running version 1.13.4 or earlier.
- Confirm the installed code includes corrected nonce validation for export scheduling.
- Review logs and admin activity for unexpected form submission exports.
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-2021-4417 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N2.82.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/cdee0cd8-b83b-4436-aebe-533f5af03ef1?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/2368977/forminator/trunk/library/class-export.phpCVE 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.