Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A vulnerable WordPress translation plugin can reflect malicious script into a user’s browser if the user is tricked into taking an action. The business risk is account misuse, content tampering, or visitor trust damage on sites still running Google Language Translator versions up to 6.0.9.
Executive priority
Treat this as a near-term remediation item for public WordPress sites. It is not currently evidenced as exploited in the provided sources, but XSS in a public plugin can create account and site-integrity risk if left unpatched.
Technical view
CVE-2021-4452 is a CWE-79 reflected XSS in Translate WordPress – Google Language Translator. The bundle attributes it to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping across multiple parameters in versions up to 6.0.9. CVSS is 7.1 high with network access and user interaction required.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on WordPress sites using the Google Language Translator plugin at version 6.0.9 or older. The affected-product metadata is sparse, so confirm installed plugin identity and version directly in WordPress or asset inventory.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not support active exploitation: KEV is false and no cited source says exploitation is occurring. Successful abuse requires tricking a user into an action such as opening a crafted link, and the description notes a particular relevance to older browsers lacking proper URL encoding support.
Researcher notes
There is a source inconsistency: the narrative says authenticated attackers, while the CVSS vector states PR:N. Do not assume unauthenticated exploitability without confirming against the primary advisories or patch changesets. The bundle does not provide safe parameter-level validation details.
Mitigation direction
- Identify all WordPress sites using the Google Language Translator plugin.
- Upgrade the plugin beyond the affected 6.0.9 range if vendor guidance confirms availability.
- If upgrade is unavailable, disable the plugin until vendor guidance is reviewed.
- Restrict administrative access and harden WordPress session protections.
- Monitor vendor, Wordfence, WPScan, and WordPress plugin guidance for confirmed fix details.
Validation and detection
- Check WordPress plugin inventory for Google Language Translator version 6.0.9 or older.
- Confirm whether the plugin slug and vendor match the referenced product.
- Review web logs for suspicious requests targeting translator plugin parameters.
- Verify upgraded or disabled plugin state across production, staging, and backups.
- Document whether older browsers are supported for privileged users.
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-79: 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-2021-4452 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
- 7.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
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:C/C:L/I:L/A:L2.83.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.1HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/aa2bd74a-563a-4a2d-b1d7-b3678db82b00?source=cveCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/2567706CVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/2567703CVE reference
- https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/1bd8bc19-5a6f-410b-897e-4887c05378eaCVE 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.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.