The WP-BibTeX plugin for WordPress, widely used to manage bibliographic references, suffers from a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-12005. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 3.0.1 due to missing or incorrect nonce validation in the wp_bibtex_option_page() function. Nonces in WordPress are security tokens used to verify that requests are intentional and originate from legitimate users. The absence or improper implementation of nonce validation allows attackers to craft malicious HTTP requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator (via clicking a malicious link), can cause unauthorized actions such as injecting malicious scripts or altering plugin settings. The vulnerability does not require the attacker to be authenticated, but successful exploitation depends on social engineering to trick an administrator into performing the action. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.1 reflects a medium severity, with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, and a scope change indicating that the vulnerability affects resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. The impact affects confidentiality and integrity but not availability. Currently, there are no known exploits in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper nonce implementation in WordPress plugins to prevent CSRF attacks.

The primary impact of this vulnerability is unauthorized modification of plugin settings or injection of malicious scripts, which can lead to compromised confidentiality and integrity of the affected WordPress site. Attackers can leverage this to alter bibliographic data, inject malicious content, or potentially pivot to further attacks within the site environment. While availability is not directly impacted, the integrity breach can undermine trust in the site and its content. Organizations relying on WP-BibTeX, especially academic, research, and publishing websites, may face reputational damage and data integrity issues. Since exploitation requires an administrator to be tricked, the risk is somewhat mitigated by user awareness but remains significant due to the potential for social engineering. The vulnerability could also be a stepping stone for more complex attacks if combined with other vulnerabilities or misconfigurations.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should immediately update the WP-BibTeX plugin to a version that includes proper nonce validation once available. Until a patch is released, administrators should limit plugin usage to trusted environments and avoid clicking on suspicious links or performing plugin-related actions from untrusted sources. Implementing Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block CSRF attempts targeting the wp_bibtex_option_page() function can provide temporary protection. Additionally, enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrator accounts reduces the risk of compromised credentials being exploited in conjunction with CSRF. Site administrators should also regularly audit plugin settings and monitor logs for unusual activities. Developers maintaining the plugin should add robust nonce checks and validate all incoming requests to sensitive functions to prevent CSRF.