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Gs Testimonial SliderWordPress extension · Gsplugins

CVE-2022-40213

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.9.6 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Multiple Authenticated (contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in GS Testimonial Slider plugin <= 1.9.6 at WordPress.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Multiple stored XSS vulnerabilities exist in the GS Testimonial Slider WordPress plugin versions 1.9.6 and below. Authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher can inject malicious JavaScript through testimonial input fields, which gets persistently stored and executed when other users view the testimonial slider.

MitigationUpdate the GS Testimonial Slider plugin to a version newer than 1.9.6. If no update is available, implement input sanitization using functions like sanitize_text_field() and output escaping (esc_html(), esc_attr()) for all testimonial data fields.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Gs Testimonial SliderWordPress extension
Affected:<= 1.9.6

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify GS Testimonial Slider plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and look for 'Gs Testimonial Slider' by Gsplugins in the installed plugins list
    Affected if The plugin is listed in the installed plugins
  2. Check installed plugin version
    In the Plugins list, find GS Testimonial Slider and compare the version number shown against '1.9.6' - versions 1.9.6 and below are affected
    Affected if Installed version is 1.9.6 or lower
  3. Confirm plugin is active
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, verify the plugin status shows as 'Active'
    Affected if Plugin is currently active and accessible on the site
  4. Identify if testimonial custom post type exists
    Check the WordPress database wp_posts table where post_type = 'testimonial' or access the Testimonials menu item in the admin panel to see stored testimonials
    Affected if Testimonials exist in the system, meaning injected scripts could have been stored
  5. Check for contributor-level or higher user accounts
    In WordPress admin > Users, review user roles to determine if any accounts have Contributor, Author, Editor, or Administrator permissions
    Affected if Users with contributor-level or higher permissions exist, providing the attack vector for XSS injection

A site is affected if GS Testimonial Slider version 1.9.6 or below is installed and active, with existing testimonials that could contain injected malicious scripts and users who could have introduced them.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.9.6
Interim mitigation

Update the GS Testimonial Slider plugin to a version newer than 1.9.6. If no update is available, implement input sanitization using functions like sanitize_text_field() and output escaping (esc_html(), esc_attr()) for all testimonial data fields.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version of GS Testimonial Slider (version > 1.9.6) from wordpress.org

  1. 1. Backup your WordPress site (database and files) before making any changes
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in WordPress admin dashboard
  3. 3. Find 'GS Testimonial Slider' in the plugin list
  4. 4. Click 'Update Now' if an update is available, or manually download the latest version from wordpress.org
  5. 5. After updating, clear any caching plugins or server-side caches
  6. 6. Verify the plugin is functioning correctly by viewing the testimonial slider on your site
  7. 7. Confirm the update to a version higher than 1.9.6 in the Plugins list
Caveat Minor: Review testimonial display after upgrade to ensure custom styling/shortcodes still work as expected

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Gs Testimonial Slider Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-40213 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data