CVE-2024-3947 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability identified in the WP To Do plugin for WordPress, developed by delower186. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 1.3.0 due to missing or incorrect nonce validation in the wptodo_settings() function. Nonces in WordPress serve as tokens to verify the legitimacy of requests, preventing unauthorized actions. The absence or improper implementation of nonce checks allows an attacker to craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated site administrator (via clicking a link or visiting a crafted webpage), can modify the plugin's settings without the administrator's consent. Since the vulnerability does not require authentication but does require user interaction, it leverages social engineering tactics to succeed. The CVSS v3.1 score is 4.3 (medium), reflecting the low complexity of attack and lack of required privileges but limited impact confined to integrity modification of plugin settings. There is no impact on confidentiality or availability. No patches or fixes are currently linked, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352, which covers CSRF issues where state-changing requests lack proper validation tokens.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-3947 is the unauthorized modification of WP To Do plugin settings, which could lead to altered task management behavior or configuration changes that may disrupt administrative workflows or introduce further security risks if the plugin controls sensitive functions. While confidentiality and availability are not directly affected, integrity compromise of plugin settings can undermine trust in site management and potentially open avenues for subsequent attacks if malicious configurations are introduced. Organizations relying on this plugin for task or project management within WordPress environments may experience operational disruptions or increased risk exposure. The vulnerability's exploitation requires tricking an administrator, so the risk is heightened in environments with less security awareness or where administrators frequently interact with untrusted content. Since WordPress powers a significant portion of websites globally, and plugins like WP To Do are used internationally, the scope of affected systems is broad, especially in countries with high WordPress adoption.

To mitigate CVE-2024-3947, organizations should first check for and apply any official patches or updates from the plugin developer once available. In the absence of an official patch, administrators can implement manual nonce validation in the wptodo_settings() function by adding proper WordPress nonce checks (e.g., using wp_verify_nonce) to ensure requests modifying settings are legitimate. Additionally, administrators should limit plugin usage to trusted personnel and educate them on the risks of clicking untrusted links or visiting suspicious websites. Employing web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block CSRF attempts targeting the plugin's endpoints can provide an additional layer of defense. Regularly auditing plugin configurations and monitoring for unexpected changes can help detect exploitation attempts early. Finally, consider disabling or replacing the WP To Do plugin with alternatives that follow secure coding practices if immediate patching is not feasible.