# CVE-2022-1598: WPQA < 5.5 - Unauthenticated Private Message Disclosure

> Unauthenticated attackers can access private user messages via an unprotected REST API endpoint in the WPQA Builder plugin.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 6 Jun 2022
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-v9x9-r7q4-rfx4

## What is CVE-2022-1598?

CVE-2022-1598 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Unknown WPQA Builder, published on 6 Jun 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The WPQA Builder WordPress plugin before 5.5 which is a companion to the Discy and Himer , lacks authentication in a REST API endpoint, allowing unauthenticated users to discover private questions sent between users on the site.

Weakness: CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-1598?

It affects 1 product.


Products: 2code Wpqa Builder.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-1598?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-1598 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2022-1598 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2022-1598 exists.

Public exploit code:

- WPQA < 5.5 - Unauthenticated Private Message Disclosure (github_poc): https://github.com/V35HR4J/CVE-2022-1598
- WordPress WPQA <5.5 - Improper Access Control (nuclei): http/cves/2022/CVE-2022-1598.yaml

## Other vulnerabilities in Unknown WPQA Builder

- [CVE-2024-2376](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-2376/): WPQA < 6.1.1 - Arbitrary Category and Tag Follow/Unfollow via CSRF (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-3688](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-3688/): WPQA < 5.9 - Follow/Unfollow via CSRF (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-1597](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1597/): WPQA < 5.4 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2024-2375](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-2375/): WPQA < 6.1.1 - Contributor+ Stored XSS (medium 5.9)
- [CVE-2022-1051](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1051/): WPQA < 5.2 - Subscriber+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Profile fields (medium 5.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-1598 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-1598 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Unknown WPQA Builder, published on 6 Jun 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2022-1598 exists.

Affected product: Unknown WPQA Builder. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1598/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1598/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-1598
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-1598
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-1598

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-1598/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.