Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This CVE affects WordPress sites using Shortcodes Ultimate version 5.12.0 or earlier. It is a CSRF issue that can cause plugin preset settings to be changed if a user is tricked into interacting with a malicious request. The business risk is unwanted site configuration changes, not direct data theft based on the provided evidence.
Executive priority
Treat this as a routine but real WordPress plugin remediation item. It is not evidenced as actively exploited, but affected public sites should be updated because CSRF can enable unwanted configuration changes through user interaction.
Technical view
CVE-2022-38086 is CWE-352 in Shortcodes Ultimate <= 5.12.0. The CVSS 3.1 score is 5.4 with network attack vector, low complexity, no attacker privileges, and required user interaction. The documented impact is plugin preset settings change, with low integrity and availability impact and no confidentiality impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress installations running the Shortcodes Ultimate plugin at version 5.12.0 or earlier. The source bundle does not identify affected CPEs, required WordPress roles, or whether multisite deployments change exposure.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not marked as CISA KEV, and the provided sources do not claim active exploitation. Exploitation requires user interaction. The bundle does not include exploit maturity, observed campaign activity, or proof-of-concept status.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to a Patchstack advisory reference, WordPress plugin developer page, and CVE metadata. The bundle does not identify the exact endpoint, nonce failure details, affected roles, fixed version, or exploitation in the wild. Avoid assuming broader impact than preset settings change.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for Shortcodes Ultimate installations.
- Update Shortcodes Ultimate beyond version 5.12.0 where vendor guidance supports it.
- Review vendor and WordPress plugin changelog for the fixed version.
- Restrict administrative access and reduce unnecessary logged-in browsing on WordPress sites.
- Monitor plugin preset settings for unexpected changes.
Validation and detection
- Confirm each WordPress site’s installed Shortcodes Ultimate version.
- Check whether any site runs version 5.12.0 or earlier.
- Review change history for unexpected plugin preset modifications.
- Verify update status against the WordPress plugin developers page.
- Document compensating controls if immediate update is not possible.
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-2022-38086 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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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:U/C:N/I:L/A:L2.82.5Primary 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:N/I:L/A:L
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.