Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2022-21662?

Affected: Wordpress versions >= 3.7; Debian Linux versions 10.0, 11.0, 9.0; wordpress-multisite (bitnami), among others. The full list is in the CVE brief.

Is CVE-2022-21662 being exploited in the wild?

It is exploited in the wild, listed in Industry KEV feed since Aug 19, 2022.

Is CVE-2022-21662 in the CISA KEV catalog?

No, it is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Is there a public exploit for CVE-2022-21662?

No public exploit code is known.

Is there a fix for CVE-2022-21662?

Fixed versions are available, including Wordpress 3.7.37, Wordpress 4.7.22+dfsg-0+deb9u1, Wordpress 5.0.15+dfsg1-0+deb10u1.

How urgently should CVE-2022-21662 be patched?

Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

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Vulnerability Intelligence

CVE-2022-21662

MediumExploited

Low-privileged authenticated users (like author) in WordPress core are able to execute JavaScript/perform stored XSS attack, which can affect high-privileged users.

Published Jan 6, 2022 · Updated Sep 10, 2026 · Also known as BIT-wordpress-2022-21662, BIT-wordpress-multisite-2022-21662, DEBIAN-CVE-2022-21662, GHSA-699q-3hj9-889w, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-21662, c272f769-65da-4963-aff0-8f68a277ea63

Key Facts

Patch immediately

CVE-2022-21662 is a medium-severity vulnerability (CVSS 5.4 v3.1) affecting Wordpress, Debian Linux, wordpress-multisite (bitnami) and 1 more product.
It is exploited in the wild, listed in Industry KEV feed since Aug 19, 2022. No public exploit code is known.
EPSS estimates a 65% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
Fixed versions are available, including Wordpress 3.7.37, Wordpress 4.7.22+dfsg-0+deb9u1, Wordpress 5.0.15+dfsg1-0+deb10u1.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

CVSS v3.1

5.4

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

EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)

65%

Higher than 99.2% of all scored CVEs

Exploited in the wild

Yes

1 catalog listing

Public exploit code

None known

Get the full CVE-2022-21662 brief as a PDF

Every affected product and fixed release, exploitation status and a first 24 hours response checklist, emailed within minutes.

Description

WordPress is a free and open-source content management system written in PHP and paired with a MariaDB database. Low-privileged authenticated users (like author) in WordPress core are able to execute JavaScript/perform stored XSS attack, which can affect high-privileged users. This has been patched in WordPress version 5.8.3. Older affected versions are also fixed via security release, that go back till 3.7.37. We strongly recommend that you keep auto-updates enabled. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Known-Exploited Catalog Listings

Catalog	Added	Remediation due	Ransomware use
Industry KEV feed	Aug 19, 2022	n/a	Not reported

Required action: Apply remediations or mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if remediation or mitigations are unavailable.

Affected Products

22 affected entries in total

Product	Affected versions	Fixed in
WordpressWordpress	>= 3.7	5.8.3
Debian LinuxDebian	10.0, 11.0, 9.0	n/a
wordpress-multisitebitnami	See advisory	5.8.3
wordpress-develop	>= < 5.8.3	n/a

Patched Releases

Wordpress

3.7.37, 4.7.22+dfsg-0+deb9u1, 5.0.15+dfsg1-0+deb10u1, 5.7.5+dfsg1-0+deb11u1, 5.8.3, 5.8.3+dfsg1-1

wordpress-multisite

5.8.3

Timeline

Publicly disclosed
Jan 6, 2022
Added to Industry KEV feed
Aug 19, 2022
Last updated
Sep 10, 2026

Weakness Type

CWE-79 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

References

10 more references in the full CVE brief

FAQ

Common Questions.

WordPress is a free and open-source content management system written in PHP and paired with a MariaDB database.
Affected: Wordpress versions >= 3.7; Debian Linux versions 10.0, 11.0, 9.0; wordpress-multisite (bitnami), among others. The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is exploited in the wild, listed in Industry KEV feed since Aug 19, 2022.
No, it is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
No public exploit code is known.
Fixed versions are available, including Wordpress 3.7.37, Wordpress 4.7.22+dfsg-0+deb9u1, Wordpress 5.0.15+dfsg1-0+deb10u1.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

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