CVE-2022-4653
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 · uneditedThe Greenshift WordPress plugin before 4.8.9 does not validate and escape one of its shortcode attributes, which could allow users with a role as low as contributor to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attack.
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 confidenceThe Greenshift WordPress plugin before version 4.8.9 fails to validate and escape a shortcode attribute, allowing stored XSS. An authenticated user with contributor role can inject malicious JavaScript through the vulnerable shortcode attribute, which executes when viewed by other users.
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< 4.8.9CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Greenshift plugin is installedIn WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Greenshift' or 'Wpsoul Greenshift' in the list. Alternatively, check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for a folder named 'greenshift' or similar.Affected if The plugin is found in the WordPress installation
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Check installed Greenshift versionIn WordPress admin > Plugins, find Greenshift and view the version number under the plugin name. Alternatively, check the main plugin file header in /wp-content/plugins/greenshift/ for the 'Version' tag.Affected if The version is lower than 4.8.9 (e.g., 4.8.8, 4.8.7, etc.)
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Identify shortcode usage in contentSearch WordPress posts, pages, and custom post types for the Greenshift shortcode. Common shortcode patterns may include [gsf_] or similar prefixes. Check post content, page content, and widget areas where shortcodes can be placed.Affected if Greenshift shortcodes are present in any published content
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Verify contributor-level user access existsIn WordPress admin, go to Users > All Users and check for any users with the 'Contributor' role. Contributors can create and edit their own posts but cannot publish them directly.Affected if At least one user account has Contributor role or higher access to create content with shortcodes
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Check for unescaped shortcode attributes in contentReview posts/pages containing Greenshift shortcodes. Look at the raw content in the editor (Gutenberg block editor or Classic editor) to inspect shortcode attribute values for any that appear unescaped or contain suspicious patterns like javascript:, onload=, or script tags.Affected if Shortcode attributes contain raw or improperly encoded values that could execute as JavaScript
You are affected if Greenshift plugin version is below 4.8.9 AND the vulnerable shortcode is present in your content AND a contributor-level user account exists in your WordPress installation.
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 · scoped4.8.9
Update Greenshift plugin to version 4.8.9 or later, which includes proper input validation and output escaping for the affected shortcode attribute.
4.8.9 or later
- 1. Backup your WordPress site before making any changes
- 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
- 3. Find the Greenshift plugin in the list
- 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to update to version 4.8.9 or later
- 5. Alternatively, upload and replace the plugin files manually with version 4.8.9 or newer
- 6. Verify the plugin version shows 4.8.9 or higher after updating
- 7. Clear any caching layers (site cache, CDN cache) after the update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-4653 — 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-2022-4653 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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- 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