CVE-2019-9978
CVE-2019-9978 is a security flaw in WordPress Social Warfare Plugin, the software behind about four in ten websites. Attackers can run their own code on WordPress Social Warfare Plugin. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 3 Nov 2021.[1]
WordPress Social Warfare Plugin is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work.
Description
CISA calls it a cross-site scripting (XSS) in WordPress Social Warfare Plugin. In its words: “WordPress Social Warfare plugin contains a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that allows for remote code execution. This vulnerability affects Social Warfare and Social Warfare Pro.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “The social-warfare plugin before 3.5.3 for WordPress has stored XSS via the wp-admin/admin-post.php?swp_debug=load_options swp_url parameter, as exploited in the wild in March 2019. This affects Social Warfare and Social Warfare Pro.”[2]
The underlying weakness is cross-site scripting (CWE-79), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 6.1 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it medium, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it. CISA names the product as WordPress Social Warfare Plugin.
Every device with WordPress Social Warfare Plugin needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 3 Nov 2021, 955 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 3 May 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 73%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[3]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Update WordPress Social Warfare Plugin now.Install the latest update from WordPress on every device that has it, and restart when asked. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 6.1.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 73%.[3] |
See also
Other WordPress flaws
- CVE-2026-87902, WordPress Core: remote file inclusion ·
- CVE-2026-63030, WordPress Core: interpretation conflict ·
- CVE-2026-60137, WordPress Core: SQL injection ·
- CVE-2020-25213, WordPress File Manager Plugin: remote code execution ·
- CVE-2020-11738, WordPress Snap Creek Duplicator Plugin: file download ·
Other cross-site scripting flaws
- CVE-2026-42897, Microsoft: exchange server cross-site scripting ·
- CVE-2025-48700, Synacor Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS): cross-site scripting ·
- CVE-2025-66376, Synacor Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS): cross-site scripting ·
- CVE-2025-68461, Roundcube Webmail: cross-site scripting ·
- CVE-2021-26829, OpenPLC ScadaBR: cross-site scripting ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2021-42258, BQE BillQuick Web Suite: SQL injection ·
- CVE-2021-42013, Apache HTTP Server: path traversal ·
- CVE-2021-41773, Apache HTTP Server: path traversal ·
- CVE-2021-40539, Zoho ManageEngine: aDSelfService plus authentication bypass ·
- CVE-2021-40444, Microsoft MSHTML: remote code execution ·
Every WordPress flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in November 2021
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “WordPress Social Warfare Plugin Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 3 Nov 2021.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2019-9978 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 24 Mar 2019.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.729, percentile 99.5, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2019-9978”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.