CVE-2024-5638 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability identified in the Formula theme for WordPress, developed by awordpresslife. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 0.5.1. The issue arises from improper neutralization of input during web page generation, specifically in the 'id' parameter of the 'ti_customizer_notify_dismiss_recommended_plugins' AJAX action. Due to insufficient input sanitization and lack of proper output escaping, an attacker can inject arbitrary JavaScript code that is reflected back to the user’s browser. This type of reflected XSS requires the attacker to trick a user into clicking a crafted link or performing an action that triggers the malicious script execution. Because the vulnerability is exploitable over the network without any authentication, it poses a significant risk to any website using the affected theme. The vulnerability’s CVSS 3.1 score is 6.1, indicating a medium severity level, with a vector showing network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, but requiring user interaction and impacting confidentiality and integrity with a scope change. Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild, the vulnerability’s presence in a popular CMS theme makes it a notable risk. The reflected XSS can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, phishing, or delivering further malware payloads within the context of the compromised website. The lack of a patch link suggests that users should monitor vendor updates or apply manual mitigations. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-79, a common and well-understood web application security weakness.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-5638 is the potential compromise of user confidentiality and integrity on websites using the vulnerable Formula WordPress theme. Successful exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the victim’s browser session, enabling theft of cookies, session tokens, or other sensitive data. This can lead to account takeover, unauthorized actions on behalf of the user, or redirection to malicious sites. While availability is not directly affected, the trustworthiness of the affected website is compromised, potentially damaging organizational reputation and user trust. For organizations, this vulnerability exposes their web presence to phishing campaigns, data leakage, and indirect malware distribution. Since WordPress powers a significant portion of the web, and themes like Formula are used globally, the scope of affected systems is broad. The requirement for user interaction (clicking a malicious link) somewhat limits automated exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with high user traffic or targeted spear-phishing. The vulnerability’s medium severity reflects these factors, but the potential for chained attacks or further exploitation elevates its importance for website administrators.

To mitigate CVE-2024-5638, organizations should first check for official patches or updates from the awordpresslife vendor and apply them promptly once available. In the absence of a patch, manual mitigation includes implementing strict input validation and output encoding on the 'id' parameter within the AJAX handler to ensure no executable scripts can be injected or reflected. Web application firewalls (WAFs) can be configured to detect and block suspicious requests containing script payloads targeting this parameter. Additionally, enabling Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can reduce the impact of XSS by restricting the execution of unauthorized scripts. Website administrators should also educate users about the risks of clicking untrusted links and monitor web logs for unusual request patterns targeting the AJAX action. Regular security audits and vulnerability scanning focused on WordPress themes and plugins can help identify similar issues proactively. Finally, consider disabling or restricting AJAX actions that are not essential or that expose sensitive parameters to unauthenticated users.