update: it appears the answer is "yes", but it is specific CVARs that are protected, not the SetCVar() function.
Blue post
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/12674209697
(My initial google search didn't turn this up.)
I will compare/contrast with Blizzard default UI activity (i.e. are Blizzard's keybindings active during combat?), and cogitate on what to do about this. At the very least, the Aloft Auto Show/Hide module will need to lose its combat-related configuration options, and generically delay taking action until the player exits combat.
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I am experiencing some weirdness with nameplates in combat.
With the latest WoW patch (5.4.8), Aloft's keybindings to enable hostile and friendly nameplates, wholesale, are not working in combat (they used to), and I am seeing taint-related issues in the error log related to the Blizzard SetCVar() API function (which is what Aloft uses to control this, via setting values on the correct CVAR).
Things seem to work as expected, out of combat.
So, has Blizzard "protected" the SetCVar() function? Can anyone confirm this?
Thanks.