WordPressCMS
CVE-2022-43497
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 · uneditedCross-site scripting vulnerability in WordPress versions prior to 6.0.3 allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to inject an arbitrary script. The developer also provides new patched releases for all versions since 3.7.
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 confidenceCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in WordPress core affecting versions prior to 6.0.3. Allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript scripts into the application, likely through a stored XSS vector given the CVSS score and description.
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
WordPressCMS
< 3.7.40>= 3.8, < 3.8.40>= 3.9, < 3.9.39>= 4.0, < 4.0.37>= 4.1, < 4.1.37>= 4.2, < 4.2.34>= 4.3, < 4.3.30>= 4.4, < 4.4.29>= 4.5, < 4.5.28>= 4.6, < 4.6.25>= 4.7, < 4.7.25>= 4.8, < 4.8.21CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed WordPress versionAccess the WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Dashboard > Home > Site Health, or check the wp-includes/version.php file for the $wp_version variableAffected if The version number returned is less than 6.0.3 for 6.x branches, or less than 4.8.21 for 4.8.x branches, or falls within any of these older affected ranges: < 3.7.40; >= 3.8.0 and < 3.8.40; >= 3.9.0 and < 3.9.39; >= 4.0.0 and < 4.0.37; >= 4.1.0 and < 4.1.37; >= 4.2.0 and < 4.2.34; >= 4.3.0 and < 4.3
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Identify the major version branchLook at the first two numbers of the version (for example, 4.8.20 is in the 4.8 branch, 5.8.2 is in the 5.8 branch)Affected if The branch is 4.8.x and version is below 4.8.21, or any 5.x or 6.0.x version below 6.0.3, or any older branch listed in the affected ranges
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Verify patch availability for your branchCheck wordpress.org/news/category/security-releases/ or the release notes for your specific version branchAffected if Your branch does not have a corresponding patched release (for example, 4.8.21 for the 4.8 branch, or 6.0.3 for the 6.0 branch)
Your WordPress installation is affected if the installed version is less than 6.0.3 for 6.0.x/5.x branches, or less than 4.8.21 for the 4.8 branch, or falls within any of the older vulnerable version ranges listed in the CVE.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped3.7.403.8.403.9.39
Update WordPress to version 6.0.3 or later (or the latest patched release for older version branches). All versions since 3.7 have patched releases available.
WordPress 6.0.3 or later (latest stable release recommended)
- 1. Back up your WordPress database and files
- 2. Ensure you have a recent backup before proceeding
- 3. Access your WordPress admin dashboard or use FTP/sFTP to access your server
- 4. If using the built-in updater: Go to Dashboard > Updates and click 'Update Now' to upgrade to the latest version
- 5. If using FTP/sFTP: Download WordPress 6.0.3 or later from wordpress.org and upload the files, overwriting existing files
- 6. After upgrade, verify the site is functioning correctly
- 7. Clear any caching plugins or server-side caches
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in WordPress
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-43497 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-43497 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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