CVE-2024-13464 is a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability classified under CWE-79, found in the Library Bookshelves plugin for WordPress developed by photonicgnostic. This vulnerability exists in all plugin versions up to and including 5.9 due to improper neutralization of user input during web page generation. Specifically, the plugin's 'bookshelf' shortcode accepts user-supplied attributes that are not adequately sanitized or escaped before being rendered on pages. Authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher can exploit this by injecting arbitrary JavaScript code into the shortcode attributes. When any user accesses a page containing the injected shortcode, the malicious script executes in their browser context. This can lead to theft of authentication cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive information, enabling further attacks such as privilege escalation or persistent site compromise. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.4, reflecting a medium severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, and requiring privileges but no user interaction. The scope is changed (S:C) indicating that the vulnerability affects resources beyond the vulnerable component. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the presence of authenticated access requirements limits immediate widespread exploitation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and output encoding in WordPress plugin development, especially for shortcodes that accept user input. No official patches or updates are currently linked, so mitigation relies on restricting contributor access, disabling the plugin, or applying manual code fixes.

The impact of CVE-2024-13464 is significant for organizations running WordPress sites with the vulnerable Library Bookshelves plugin installed. Exploitation allows authenticated contributors or higher to inject persistent malicious scripts, which execute in the context of any user viewing the infected pages. This can lead to credential theft, session hijacking, unauthorized actions on behalf of users, and potential site defacement or redirection to malicious sites. For organizations with multiple content contributors, this vulnerability increases the risk of insider threats or compromised contributor accounts being leveraged for attacks. Although the vulnerability does not directly affect availability, the compromise of user sessions and site integrity can disrupt normal operations, damage reputation, and lead to data breaches. The medium CVSS score reflects that while exploitation requires some privileges, the ease of injection and persistent nature of the attack vector make it a credible threat. The absence of known public exploits currently limits immediate widespread impact but does not reduce the urgency for remediation. Organizations relying on this plugin for content display should consider the risk of lateral movement within their WordPress environment and the potential for broader compromise if exploited.

To mitigate CVE-2024-13464, organizations should take the following specific actions: 1) Immediately review and restrict user roles and permissions, ensuring only trusted users have contributor-level or higher access to the WordPress site. 2) Disable or uninstall the Library Bookshelves plugin if it is not essential to reduce the attack surface. 3) Monitor site content for suspicious shortcode usage or unexpected script injections, using security plugins or manual audits. 4) If disabling the plugin is not feasible, implement manual code patches to sanitize and escape all user-supplied shortcode attributes before rendering, following WordPress security best practices. 5) Employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block common XSS payloads targeting shortcode parameters. 6) Educate content contributors about the risks of injecting untrusted content and enforce strict content review workflows. 7) Regularly update WordPress core and all plugins once official patches for this vulnerability are released. 8) Conduct periodic security assessments focusing on plugin vulnerabilities and user privilege audits to detect and prevent similar issues. These targeted mitigations go beyond generic advice by focusing on role management, content monitoring, and interim protective measures until official fixes are available.