CVE-2024-22158 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability classified under CWE-79, affecting the PeepSo Community plugin, which is used for social networking, membership, registration, and user profile management on WordPress sites. This vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation, allowing an attacker to inject malicious scripts that are stored and later executed in the browsers of users who view the affected pages. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 6.3.1.0 of the PeepSo Community plugin. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.5, indicating a medium severity level. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L) and user interaction (UI:R). The scope is changed (S:C), meaning the vulnerability affects resources beyond the vulnerable component. The impact includes low confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts (C:L/I:L/A:L), consistent with typical stored XSS consequences. Exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the victim's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, defacement, or redirection to malicious sites. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The vulnerability is relevant to any organization using the PeepSo Community plugin for their WordPress-based social networking or membership sites, especially where user-generated content is prevalent and privileges are assigned to users who can submit content. The vulnerability requires authenticated access with user interaction, which somewhat limits exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially in communities with many users or lower trust levels.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to websites and online communities leveraging the PeepSo Community plugin for social networking and membership functionalities. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized script execution in users' browsers, resulting in theft of session tokens, unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users, phishing attacks, or distribution of malware. This can damage organizational reputation, lead to data breaches involving personal data protected under GDPR, and cause service disruptions. Organizations operating in sectors with high regulatory scrutiny, such as finance, healthcare, or public services, may face compliance risks and potential fines if user data confidentiality or integrity is compromised. Additionally, the scope change in the CVSS vector indicates that the vulnerability could affect other components or user privileges beyond the initial plugin context, increasing potential damage. The requirement for authenticated access and user interaction reduces the likelihood of mass exploitation but does not preclude targeted attacks, especially in large or open communities. Given the widespread use of WordPress and the popularity of social networking plugins, European organizations with active user communities should consider this vulnerability a significant risk to their web presence and user trust.

1. Immediate patching: Upgrade the PeepSo Community plugin to version 6.3.1.0 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. 2. Input sanitization: Implement additional server-side input validation and output encoding for all user-generated content fields, especially those rendered in HTML contexts, to prevent script injection. 3. Content Security Policy (CSP): Deploy a strict CSP header to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of potential XSS attacks. 4. User privilege review: Restrict content submission privileges to trusted users and enforce the principle of least privilege to minimize attack surface. 5. Monitoring and logging: Enable detailed logging of user inputs and monitor for unusual activity or injection patterns to detect attempted exploitation. 6. User awareness: Educate users about the risks of clicking on suspicious links or interacting with unexpected content within the community platform. 7. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Configure WAF rules to detect and block common XSS payloads targeting the PeepSo plugin. 8. Regular security assessments: Conduct periodic vulnerability scans and penetration tests focusing on web application components handling user input.