CVE-2024-13461 is a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the Autoship Cloud for WooCommerce Subscription Products plugin for WordPress, which is widely used to manage subscription-based e-commerce products. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 2.8.0 due to improper neutralization of input during web page generation, specifically in the 'autoship-create-scheduled-order-action' shortcode. This shortcode fails to properly sanitize and escape user-supplied attributes, allowing authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into pages. When other users visit these pages, the injected scripts execute in their browsers, potentially compromising session tokens, cookies, or enabling actions on behalf of the victim. The vulnerability requires authentication but no user interaction, and the scope is limited to sites using this plugin. The CVSS 3.1 score of 6.4 reflects a medium severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, and privileges required at the contributor level. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a significant risk to WordPress sites relying on this plugin for subscription management. The issue stems from a common web application security weakness classified as CWE-79, highlighting the need for proper input validation and output encoding in web applications.

The impact of CVE-2024-13461 on organizations worldwide can be significant, particularly for e-commerce businesses using WordPress and the Autoship Cloud plugin. Successful exploitation allows attackers with contributor-level access to inject persistent malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers. This can lead to theft of authentication cookies, enabling session hijacking and unauthorized access escalation. Attackers may also perform actions on behalf of victims, such as changing subscription details, stealing sensitive customer data, or defacing web content. Although the vulnerability does not directly affect system availability, the compromise of user accounts and data integrity can damage brand reputation, lead to regulatory non-compliance, and cause financial losses. Since WooCommerce is a popular e-commerce platform globally, many organizations with subscription-based sales models are at risk. The requirement for contributor-level access limits exploitation to insiders or compromised accounts, but this is a common privilege level for many content contributors, increasing the attack surface. The absence of known active exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as automated scanning and exploitation tools could emerge.

To mitigate CVE-2024-13461, organizations should immediately update the Autoship Cloud for WooCommerce Subscription Products plugin to a patched version once available. Until a patch is released, administrators should restrict contributor-level permissions to trusted users only and audit existing contributor accounts for suspicious activity. Implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block common XSS payloads targeting the vulnerable shortcode can reduce risk. Additionally, site owners should enforce Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts. Regularly scanning the site for injected scripts or anomalous content in pages generated by the shortcode can help detect exploitation attempts. Developers maintaining the plugin should apply proper input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied attributes in shortcodes. Finally, educating users about the risks of privilege misuse and monitoring logs for unusual contributor actions will help in early detection and response.