Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-45848 is a stored cross-site scripting issue in the WordPress Contest Gallery plugin up to 13.1.0.9. An unauthenticated attacker may be able to store malicious script that later runs when another user views affected content. Business impact is usually account/session risk and content tampering, not server takeover.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority web application risk. Prioritize internet-facing WordPress sites, especially those with public submissions or administrator review workflows, and remediate during the next maintenance window unless suspicious activity is found.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-79 stored XSS with CVSS 3.1 score 6.1: network exploitable, low complexity, no privileges, user interaction required, changed scope, low confidentiality and integrity impact, no availability impact. The source bundle identifies Contest Gallery <= 13.1.0.9, but product/version metadata is sparse and has no CPE.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to WordPress sites running the Contest Gallery plugin at version 13.1.0.9 or earlier. Public sites accepting gallery or contest submissions are more plausible targets because the issue is described as unauthenticated stored XSS.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation still matters because stored XSS can persist and affect administrators or visitors who view compromised content.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports unauthenticated stored XSS, but does not include exploit details, confirmed affected CPEs, or a named fixed version in the provided bundle. Avoid assuming exploit-in-the-wild status; validate against vendor/Patchstack data before closure.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for the Contest Gallery plugin and installed version.
- Check Contest Gallery or Patchstack guidance for a patched version and upgrade accordingly.
- Disable or remove the plugin where it is unnecessary or cannot be safely updated.
- Review WordPress roles and admin sessions for unusual activity after suspected exposure.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Contest Gallery is installed on each WordPress site.
- Flag any installation at version 13.1.0.9 or earlier as potentially affected.
- Review plugin changelogs or vendor advisories before marking a version remediated.
- Check recent gallery or contest submissions for unexpected script-like content.
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-2022-45848 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N2.82.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.1MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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.
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.