CVE-2024-13444 is a medium-severity vulnerability classified under CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery) affecting the wp-greet plugin for WordPress, developed by tuxlog. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 6.2 due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on a critical function within the plugin. 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 unauthenticated attackers to craft malicious requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator (via user interaction such as clicking a link), can update plugin settings or inject malicious web scripts. This can lead to unauthorized changes in site behavior and potential cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. The vulnerability does not require prior authentication but does require user interaction, limiting automated exploitation. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N) reflects network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, scope changed, and low impact on confidentiality and integrity, with no impact on availability. No patches or exploits are currently publicly available, but the vulnerability is published and should be addressed promptly.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-13444 is on the confidentiality and integrity of affected WordPress sites using the wp-greet plugin. An attacker can manipulate plugin settings or inject malicious scripts by exploiting the CSRF flaw, potentially leading to unauthorized data exposure or site defacement. The injected scripts could facilitate further attacks such as session hijacking, phishing, or malware distribution. Although availability is not directly affected, the integrity compromise can undermine trust in the affected websites. Organizations relying on wp-greet for greeting or user interaction features may face reputational damage and increased risk of broader compromise if attackers leverage this vulnerability as an initial foothold. The requirement for administrator interaction reduces the likelihood of mass exploitation but does not eliminate targeted attacks against high-value sites. The vulnerability affects all versions up to 6.2, so unpatched sites remain at risk.

To mitigate CVE-2024-13444, organizations should immediately verify if they use the wp-greet plugin and update to a patched version once available. In the absence of an official patch, administrators should consider disabling or removing the plugin to eliminate the attack surface. Implementing strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can help reduce the impact of injected scripts. Additionally, educating site administrators about the risks of clicking untrusted links can reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation. Site owners should also enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative accounts to limit the impact of compromised credentials. Monitoring web server and application logs for unusual requests or changes to plugin settings can help detect attempted exploitation. Finally, developers should ensure nonce validation is correctly implemented in all plugin functions that modify settings or perform sensitive actions.