Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Private Messages For WordPress 2.1.10 and earlier allows a logged-in subscriber or higher user to store cross-site scripting content. If another user views the affected message content, script may run in that user’s browser, risking account misuse or data exposure within the WordPress site context.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority WordPress hygiene issue. Prioritize sites with open registration, customer portals, or many low-privilege users, because stored XSS can turn a low-privilege account into a browser-based risk for higher-value users.
Technical view
The issue is an authenticated stored XSS in Rilwis Private Messages For WordPress, mapped to CWE-79. CVSS 3.1 is 5.4 with low attack complexity, low privileges required, user interaction required, changed scope, low confidentiality and integrity impact, and no availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites using Private Messages For WordPress versions 2.1.10 or earlier, especially where untrusted users can register or hold subscriber-level accounts.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or other evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires an authenticated user and a victim viewing stored content, so risk depends heavily on site registration model and admin/user workflows.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports authenticated stored XSS only for Private Messages For WordPress <= 2.1.10. The bundle does not identify a fixed version or exploitation in the wild. Validate exposure by installed version, user registration model, and whether stored message views are reachable by privileged users.
Mitigation direction
- Identify all WordPress sites using Private Messages For WordPress.
- Check vendor, WordPress.org, or Patchstack guidance for a fixed release.
- Upgrade if a fixed version is available from the vendor.
- Disable or remove the plugin if no safe update is available.
- Restrict untrusted subscriber registration where operationally feasible.
- Review stored private message content for suspicious script-like entries.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether the plugin is installed on each WordPress site.
- Record the installed plugin version and flag 2.1.10 or earlier.
- Review whether subscribers or other low-privilege users can access messaging features.
- Check whether public or self-service registration creates subscriber accounts.
- Inspect recent private message content for unexpected HTML or script-like markup.
- Review WordPress user and admin activity for suspicious account behavior.
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-2022-29442 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
- 5.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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.
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:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.32.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/private-messages-for-wordpress/CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/private-messages-for-wordpress/wordpress-private-messages-for-wordpress-plugin-2-1-10-authenticated-stored-cross-site-scripting-xss-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.
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.