CVE-2024-12876 is a critical security vulnerability identified in the Golo - City Travel Guide WordPress theme developed by uxper. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization) and affects all versions up to and including 1.6.10. The core issue is that the theme does not properly verify a user's identity before allowing password updates. This missing authorization check permits unauthenticated attackers to change arbitrary users' passwords, including those of administrators. Consequently, attackers can escalate privileges by taking over accounts without needing any credentials or user interaction. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, indicating critical severity with network attack vector, no required privileges, no user interaction, and full impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This flaw can lead to complete site takeover, data theft, defacement, or further malicious activities. No official patches or exploit code are currently publicly available, but the risk remains high due to the straightforward exploitation method. The vulnerability affects WordPress sites using this theme, which is commonly deployed for city travel guide websites, potentially impacting tourism-related businesses and content providers.

The impact of CVE-2024-12876 is severe for organizations running the vulnerable Golo WordPress theme. An attacker can gain unauthorized administrative access by resetting any user's password, leading to full site compromise. This can result in data breaches, unauthorized content modification, defacement, malware injection, and disruption of services. For businesses relying on their websites for customer engagement or e-commerce, this could cause significant reputational damage and financial loss. The vulnerability also threatens the confidentiality of user data stored on affected sites. Since WordPress powers a large portion of the web, and this theme targets travel and tourism sectors, the scope of impact includes small to medium enterprises and travel agencies worldwide. The ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the likelihood of attacks, especially as threat actors often target vulnerable WordPress themes and plugins.

1. Immediately update the Golo - City Travel Guide WordPress theme to a patched version once available from the vendor. 2. If no patch is available, temporarily disable the theme or restrict access to password reset functionality via web application firewall (WAF) rules or custom code to enforce authorization checks. 3. Monitor web server and application logs for suspicious password reset attempts or unauthorized access. 4. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrator accounts to reduce the risk of account takeover. 5. Regularly back up website data and configurations to enable rapid recovery in case of compromise. 6. Conduct a thorough security audit of WordPress installations to identify other potential vulnerabilities or misconfigurations. 7. Educate site administrators on the risks and signs of account compromise. 8. Consider using security plugins that can detect and block unauthorized password changes or brute force attempts. 9. Limit administrative privileges to only necessary users and review user roles periodically.