Exploited CVEs / WordPress / CVE-2019-9978
CVE-2019-9978
WordPress Social Warfare Plugin Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability. Exploitation in the wild is confirmed by CISA, not predicted. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2022-05-03 (that deadline has passed); treat that date as the outer bound for your own environment. Check the vendor security advisory for the fix.
Risk summary
Actively exploited WordPress Social Warfare Plugin vulnerability, Medium severity, CVSS 6.1. Added to the CISA KEV catalog 2021-11-03.
Senserva AI Opinion for CVE-2019-9978
The Social Warfare plugin for WordPress turned a cross-site scripting flaw into full remote code execution, and attackers mass-injected redirect scripts into tens of thousands of sites within days of disclosure, which is reflected in the 74 percent EPSS score. Both the free and Pro versions are affected. Marketing sites running old plugins are the typical exposure, and a compromised site becomes a malware distribution point that damages your domain reputation.
Do this: Check WordPress sites for the Social Warfare plugin, update it past the fixed release, and review posts and widgets for injected scripts.
AI-generated from public data, 2026-07-07. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting.
Senserva AI Opinion and rich prompt for CVE-2019-9978
Copy this prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot. The facts are included, sourced from this page.
Updated August 14, 2026. Data refreshed on every build from MSRC, CISA KEV, and FIRST EPSS.
Full tracking and change history for CVE-2019-9978
- Published
- 2021-11-03
- Last revised
- 2021-11-03
- Changes tracked
- 1
Published and last-revised dates are authoritative, from Microsoft MSRC (or the CISA KEV date-added). Senserva additionally records day-to-day changes from 2026-07-07, refreshed several times a day; the change count reflects that forward-only tracking.
- 2021-11-03 added to the CISA KEV catalog by CISA
- 2026-07-17 CVSS 0.0 to 6.1; EPSS first scored at 73.5%
- 2026-07-24 EPSS 73.5% to 73.0%
Recorded by Senserva on the dates shown, from CISA KEV and FIRST EPSS. This is what moved and when, which neither the vendor advisory nor NVD publishes.
CISA required action
Federal (BOD 22-01) remediation due date: 2022-05-03 (past due).
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Official fix for CVE-2019-9978
Check the vendor's security advisory channel for the patched Social Warfare Plugin versions and workarounds.
Common questions about CVE-2019-9978
Is CVE-2019-9978 actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2019-9978 was added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2021-11-03, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed, not predicted. Its EPSS 30-day exploitation probability is 73%.
What is the CISA deadline and required action for CVE-2019-9978?
CISA set the federal (BOD 22-01) remediation due date at 2022-05-03, which has passed; treat any unremediated system as overdue. The verbatim required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
What fixes CVE-2019-9978?
Check the vendor's security advisory for the patched Social Warfare Plugin versions and any workarounds. KEV listing makes this a fix-first item: patch it ahead of higher-CVSS issues nobody is exploiting.
Can I ask my own AI about CVE-2019-9978?
Yes. This page includes a free, ready-to-paste AI prompt containing CVE-2019-9978's key facts: severity, CVSS, EPSS, the KEV date, the CISA due date, and the required action. Copy it into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot; the data is refreshed twice a day (5 AM and 3 PM US Central).
Scope and sources
- More exploited WordPress CVEs
All WordPress exploited CVEs on one page: WordPress vulnerabilities actively exploited.
- Authoritative references
Every actively exploited CVE, searchable with due dates and CSV export: the exploited-CVE tracker. The newest additions: exploited this week.