CVE-2024-11720 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the Frontend Admin by DynamiApps plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 3.24.5. The vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization and escaping of user input on the new Taxonomy submission form, which allows unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary JavaScript code that is stored and executed whenever a user accesses the compromised page. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79, indicating improper neutralization of input during web page generation. Exploitation requires that lower-privileged users have permission to submit specific forms, which is disabled by default, reducing the attack surface but not eliminating it if permissions are modified. The vulnerability does not require user interaction or authentication, making it easier to exploit remotely over the network. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.2 reflects a high severity level, with attack vector being network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and scope changed (S:C), impacting confidentiality and integrity but not availability. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the risk remains significant for sites using this plugin with altered default permissions. The vulnerability could allow attackers to steal cookies, hijack sessions, deface websites, or perform other malicious actions within the context of affected users. The lack of official patches at the time of reporting necessitates immediate mitigation steps by administrators.

The impact of CVE-2024-11720 is primarily on the confidentiality and integrity of affected WordPress sites and their users. Successful exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of users visiting the injected pages, potentially leading to session hijacking, theft of sensitive information such as cookies or credentials, unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users, and website defacement. Since the vulnerability is stored XSS, the malicious payload persists and affects multiple users, increasing the scope of impact. Organizations relying on the Frontend Admin by DynamiApps plugin with modified permissions for lower-level users face increased risk. This can lead to reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and potential regulatory consequences if user data is compromised. The vulnerability does not affect availability directly but can indirectly disrupt services through exploitation. Given the widespread use of WordPress globally, the threat could impact a significant number of websites, especially those in sectors such as e-commerce, media, and government that rely on WordPress for content management and have complex user permission structures.

1. Immediately review and restrict permissions for lower-level users to ensure they cannot submit forms unless absolutely necessary, reverting to the default setting where form submission by lower-level users is disabled. 2. Monitor for updates or patches from DynamiApps and apply them promptly once released to address the input sanitization and output escaping flaws. 3. Implement additional server-side input validation and output encoding for all user-submitted data, especially on taxonomy and form inputs, to prevent injection of malicious scripts. 4. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules targeting common XSS payloads to detect and block exploitation attempts. 5. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on user input handling and privilege configurations within WordPress plugins. 6. Educate site administrators about the risks of modifying default permissions and the importance of least privilege principles. 7. Use Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers accessing the site. 8. Monitor logs for suspicious activities related to form submissions and unusual script injections. These steps collectively reduce the risk of exploitation until an official patch is available and applied.