Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-47957 is a stored XSS issue in the WordPress Cookie Law Bar plugin version 1.2.1. An authenticated user can save unsafe content in the Bar Message setting, causing script to run for site visitors. The main business risk is account/session exposure and reputational damage on affected WordPress sites.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate priority. It is not listed as KEV and no active exploitation is cited, but stored XSS can affect every visitor to an exposed site and may expose sessions or sensitive user data.
Technical view
The vulnerability is CWE-79 stored cross-site scripting in Cookielawinfo Cookie Law Bar 1.2.1, specifically unsanitized input in clb_bar_msg. CVSS 3.1 is 6.4 with network access, low attack complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, changed scope, and low confidentiality/integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running Cookie Law Bar 1.2.1 where an authenticated user can submit the Bar Message plugin setting. The supplied sources do not identify other affected versions or exact WordPress role requirements.
Exploitation context
The source bundle includes an ExploitDB reference, so public exploit information exists. KEV is false, and the supplied sources do not provide evidence of active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports Cookie Law Bar 1.2.1 only. The source bundle names clb_bar_msg and authenticated stored XSS, but does not provide a fixed version, affected role detail, or vendor remediation specifics. Avoid expanding scope beyond the cited product and version.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for Cookie Law Bar version 1.2.1.
- Check vendor and WordPress plugin pages for fixed-version or replacement guidance.
- Restrict plugin settings access to trusted administrators only.
- Disable or remove the plugin if it is not business-critical.
- Review the Bar Message setting for unexpected script or markup.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether cookie-law-bar is installed on each WordPress instance.
- Verify the installed plugin version is exactly 1.2.1.
- Review plugin configuration for unauthorized Bar Message changes.
- Check recent administrator activity for unexpected plugin settings updates.
- Monitor affected sites for suspicious script execution or session anomalies.
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-2021-47957 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
- 6.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe 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:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N3.12.7VulnCheckCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N——VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
5.1MediumVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- ExploitDB-49905CVE reference, VulnCheck · exploit
- Official Product HomepageCVE reference, VulnCheck · product
- Product ReferenceCVE reference, VulnCheck · product
- VulnCheck Advisory: WordPress Plugin Cookie Law Bar 1.2.1 Stored XSS via clb_bar_msgCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
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.