CVE-2019-9978 : The social-warfare plugin before 3.5.3 for WordPress has stored XSS via the wp-a

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.

Published 2019-03-24 15:29:00

Updated 2025-06-03 20:24:03

Source MITRE

View at NVD, CVE.org

Vulnerability category: Cross site scripting (XSS)

Products affected by CVE-2019-9978

Warfareplugins » Social Warfare » For Wordpress
Versions before (<) 3.5.3
cpe:2.3:a:warfareplugins:social_warfare:*:*:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*
Matching versions
Warfareplugins » Social Warfare Pro » For Wordpress
Versions before (<) 3.5.3
cpe:2.3:a:warfareplugins:social_warfare_pro:*:*:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*
Matching versions

CVE-2019-9978 is in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog

CISA vulnerability name:

WordPress Social Warfare Plugin Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability

CISA required action:

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

CISA description:

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.

Notes:

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-9978

Added on 2021-11-03 Action due date 2022-05-03

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2019-9978

EPSS FAQ

88.30%

Probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days EPSS Score History

~ 99 %

Percentile, the proportion of vulnerabilities that are scored at or less

CVSS scores for CVE-2019-9978

Base Score	Base Severity	CVSS Vector	Exploitability Score	Impact Score	Score Source	First Seen
4.3	MEDIUM	AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N	8.6	2.9	NIST
Access Vector: Network Access Complexity: Medium Authentication: None Confidentiality Impact: None Integrity Impact: Partial Availability Impact: None
6.1	MEDIUM	CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N	2.8	2.7	NIST
Attack Vector: Network Attack Complexity: Low Privileges Required: None User Interaction: Required Scope: Changed Confidentiality: Low Integrity: Low Availability: None
6.1	MEDIUM	CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N	2.8	2.7	134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0	2025-02-07
Attack Vector: Network Attack Complexity: Low Privileges Required: None User Interaction: Required Scope: Changed Confidentiality: Low Integrity: Low Availability: None
6.1	MEDIUM	CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N	2.8	2.7	NIST	2024-07-25
Attack Vector: Network Attack Complexity: Low Privileges Required: None User Interaction: Required Scope: Changed Confidentiality: Low Integrity: Low Availability: None

CWE ids for CVE-2019-9978

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

The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.
Assigned by:
- 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (Secondary)
- nvd@nist.gov (Primary)

References for CVE-2019-9978

https://www.cybersecurity-help.cz/vdb/SB2019032105

Exploit;Third Party Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/163680/WordPress-Social-Warfare-3.5.2-Remote-Code-Execution.html

WordPress Social Warfare 3.5.2 Remote Code Execution ≈ Packet Storm
Exploit;Third Party Advisory;VDB Entry
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46794/

Third Party Advisory;VDB Entry
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2025/Jun/1

Full Disclosure: Exploit CVE-2019-9978: Remote Code Execution in Social Warfare WordPress Plugin (<= 3.5.2)
Mailing List
https://twitter.com/warfareplugins/status/1108852747099652099

Third Party Advisory
https://wordpress.org/plugins/social-warfare/#developers

WordPress Social Sharing Plugin – Social Warfare – WordPress plugin | WordPress.org
Product
https://blog.sucuri.net/2019/03/zero-day-stored-xss-in-social-warfare.html

Zero-Day Stored XSS in Social Warfare
Exploit;Third Party Advisory
https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/9238

Social Warfare <= 3.5.2 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary Settings Update
Broken Link;Third Party Advisory
https://www.pluginvulnerabilities.com/2019/03/21/full-disclosure-of-settings-change-persistent-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability-in-social-warfare/

Full Disclosure of Settings Change/Persistent Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability in Social Warfare – Plugin Vulnerabilities
Exploit;Third Party Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/152722/Wordpress-Social-Warfare-Remote-Code-Execution.html

Wordpress Social Warfare Remote Code Execution ≈ Packet Storm
Exploit;Third Party Advisory;VDB Entry
https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2019/03/unpatched-zero-day-vulnerability-in-social-warfare-plugin-exploited-in-the-wild/

Unpatched Zero-Day Vulnerability in Social Warfare Plugin Exploited In The Wild
Third Party Advisory