CVE-2024-12816 identifies a stored Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability in the NOTICE BOARD BY TOWKIR WordPress plugin, versions up to and including 3.1. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79), specifically due to insufficient sanitization and escaping of user-supplied attributes in the plugin's 'notice-board' shortcode. Authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher can exploit this flaw by injecting arbitrary JavaScript code into pages. When other users access these pages, the injected scripts execute in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the victim. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without user interaction beyond viewing the compromised page. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N) indicates that the attack requires low complexity, privileges of a contributor, no user interaction, and impacts confidentiality and integrity with a scope change. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a significant risk to websites using this plugin, especially those with multiple contributors. The lack of official patches at the time of publication necessitates immediate mitigation steps to reduce exposure.

The primary impact of this vulnerability is the compromise of confidentiality and integrity of affected WordPress sites using the NOTICE BOARD BY TOWKIR plugin. Attackers with contributor-level access can inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users, including administrators, potentially stealing session cookies, performing unauthorized actions, or defacing content. This can lead to account takeover, data leakage, and erosion of user trust. Since the vulnerability is stored XSS, the malicious payload persists and affects all visitors to the compromised page. The scope change in the CVSS vector indicates that the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the initially compromised component, potentially impacting the entire site. Although availability is not directly affected, the indirect consequences such as site defacement or administrative lockout can disrupt operations. Organizations with multiple contributors or open contributor policies are at higher risk. The medium severity score reflects the need for timely remediation to prevent exploitation, especially in high-traffic or sensitive environments.

1. Immediately restrict contributor-level access to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of malicious script injection. 2. Monitor all content submitted via the 'notice-board' shortcode for suspicious or unexpected scripts or HTML tags. 3. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common XSS payloads targeting this plugin. 4. Encourage site administrators to review and sanitize existing notices for injected scripts. 5. Disable or remove the NOTICE BOARD BY TOWKIR plugin if it is not essential until a security patch is released. 6. Once available, promptly apply official patches or updates from the plugin vendor addressing this vulnerability. 7. Educate contributors about safe content submission practices and the risks of injecting untrusted code. 8. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution sources, mitigating the impact of injected scripts. 9. Regularly audit user roles and permissions to ensure least privilege principles are enforced. 10. Maintain up-to-date backups to enable quick recovery in case of compromise.