Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This issue could let an unauthenticated internet user see some Advanced Custom Fields custom-field values that were not meant to be public. The business impact is usually limited, but it depends on what a site stored in those fields, such as internal notes, identifiers, or configuration-like data.
Executive priority
Treat this as a low-priority remediation unless ACF fields contain sensitive information. Prioritize inventory and upgrade planning, then escalate only if validation shows confidential data could be exposed publicly.
Technical view
CVE-2022-40696 is a CWE-200 sensitive information exposure issue in WP Engine Advanced Custom Fields. The bundle states ACF versions 3.1.1 through 6.0.2 are affected. CVSS 3.1 is 3.7: network reachable, high attack complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, low confidentiality impact, no integrity or availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress sites running Advanced Custom Fields versions 3.1.1 through 6.0.2, especially where custom fields contain non-public information. Sites that do not store sensitive data in ACF fields may have lower practical impact.
Exploitation context
The provided bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. The vulnerability is unauthenticated and network reachable, but rated high complexity with only low confidentiality impact. Do not assume exploitation without additional vendor or threat-intelligence confirmation.
Researcher notes
The source bundle supports affected product, version range, CWE, and CVSS details, but does not provide exploit mechanics, active exploitation evidence, or a named fixed version. Validate against vendor guidance before declaring remediation complete.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites using the Advanced Custom Fields plugin.
- If affected versions are present, check WP Engine or Patchstack guidance for the fixed upgrade path.
- Remove secrets, tokens, and internal-only data from ACF custom fields.
- Restrict public rendering of fields that should not be visible.
- Review backups and staging sites for the same plugin exposure.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed ACF versions across production, staging, and backup WordPress sites.
- Review public pages and APIs for unintended custom-field disclosure.
- Identify whether exposed fields contain sensitive business, customer, or operational data.
- Check vendor advisories for exact fixed versions and remediation notes.
- Document whether the site stores confidential values in ACF fields.
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-200: Information exposure and cloud metadata lookup
Information exposure and SSRF weaknesses can make discovery, cloud metadata, and credential material review relevant. 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-2022-40696 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
- Low
- CVSS
- 3.7 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/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:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N2.21.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
3.7LowVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
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.
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.