Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A vulnerable GiveWP WordPress plugin could let a highly privileged logged-in user create arbitrary files through the export feature. On a donation site, that can threaten site integrity, data confidentiality, and availability. The provided sources do not confirm active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as urgent for donation or public WordPress sites using GiveWP, especially where many administrators exist or account compromise is plausible.
Technical view
CVE-2022-28700 affects GiveWP for WordPress versions <= 2.20.2. It is categorized as CWE-434 and scored CVSS 9.1: network reachable, low complexity, high privileges required, no user interaction, scope changed, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running GiveWP <= 2.20.2 where an authenticated high-privilege user can reach the export function.
Exploitation context
The evidence indicates authenticated arbitrary file creation, not unauthenticated compromise. KEV is false in the supplied bundle, and no cited source here confirms exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
The public bundle does not include exploit details, patch notes, or confirmed abuse. Validation should focus on plugin version, privileged access paths, export activity, and unexpected file creation indicators.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites using the GiveWP plugin.
- Upgrade GiveWP beyond 2.20.2 after checking vendor guidance.
- Restrict plugin administration and export access to trusted accounts.
- Disable GiveWP temporarily if the site cannot be updated.
- Review privileged WordPress accounts for unnecessary access.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed GiveWP version on each WordPress site.
- Check whether GiveWP is version 2.20.2 or older.
- Review logs for suspicious export activity by privileged accounts.
- Inspect web-accessible directories for unexpected newly created files.
- Verify only trusted users hold high-privilege WordPress roles.
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-434: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. 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 lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-28700 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
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H2.36Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.1CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/give/#developersCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/give/wordpress-givewp-plugin-2-20-2-authenticated-arbitrary-file-creation-via-export-function-vulnerabilityCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
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.
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.