CVE-2024-13583 identifies a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Simple Gallery with Filter plugin for WordPress, maintained by jitendra742744. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 2.0 due to insufficient sanitization and escaping of user-supplied input in the 'c2tw_sgwf' shortcode attributes. Specifically, authenticated users with contributor-level permissions or higher can inject arbitrary JavaScript code into pages or posts via this shortcode. When other users access these pages, the malicious scripts execute in their browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or data theft. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.4, reflecting a network attack vector, low attack complexity, requiring privileges but no user interaction, and impacting confidentiality and integrity with a scope change. No patches or official fixes are currently listed, and no active exploitation has been reported. This vulnerability highlights the risks of insufficient input validation in WordPress plugins, especially those that allow user-generated content or shortcode attributes to be processed without proper sanitization.

The primary impact of this vulnerability is the potential compromise of user confidentiality and integrity within affected WordPress sites. Attackers with contributor-level access can inject malicious scripts that execute in the browsers of site visitors or administrators, enabling theft of session cookies, credentials, or other sensitive information. This can lead to account takeover, unauthorized actions, or further compromise of the website. Although availability is not directly affected, the reputational damage and trust loss from a successful XSS attack can be significant. Organizations relying on this plugin may face increased risk of targeted attacks, especially if their user base includes privileged users who can exploit this flaw. The vulnerability also poses risks to any integrated systems or services relying on the affected WordPress sites. Given the widespread use of WordPress globally, the scope of affected systems could be substantial, particularly for sites that allow contributor-level user registrations or have multiple authors.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should immediately restrict contributor-level user permissions to trusted individuals and monitor for suspicious shortcode usage. Applying input validation and output escaping manually in the plugin code can reduce risk if an official patch is not yet available. Specifically, developers should sanitize all shortcode attributes using WordPress functions like sanitize_text_field() and escape output with esc_html() or esc_attr() as appropriate. Site administrators should consider disabling or removing the Simple Gallery with Filter plugin until a secure version is released. Implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block malicious shortcode payloads can provide additional protection. Regularly auditing user-generated content and shortcode usage for injected scripts is recommended. Finally, maintaining up-to-date backups and monitoring logs for unusual activity will aid in rapid detection and recovery if exploitation occurs.