CVE-2024-9708 is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability classified under CWE-79, found in the Easy SVG Upload plugin for WordPress developed by wpdelower. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 1.0. The root cause is insufficient sanitization and escaping of SVG file content uploaded by users. Authenticated attackers with Author-level permissions or higher can upload specially crafted SVG files containing malicious JavaScript code. When these SVG files are accessed or rendered by other users, the embedded scripts execute in their browsers, potentially allowing session hijacking, privilege escalation, or other malicious actions. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without user interaction beyond viewing the SVG. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.4, indicating medium severity, with an attack vector of network, low attack complexity, requiring privileges (Author or above), no user interaction, and a scope change due to affecting other users. No patches or official fixes have been published yet, and no known exploits are currently in the wild. This vulnerability highlights the risks of improper input validation and output encoding in web applications handling user-uploaded SVG files, which can embed executable scripts.

The impact of CVE-2024-9708 includes potential compromise of user confidentiality and integrity on affected WordPress sites using the Easy SVG Upload plugin. Attackers with Author-level access can inject persistent malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users, including administrators and visitors. This can lead to session hijacking, theft of sensitive data such as cookies or credentials, unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users, and defacement or manipulation of site content. Although availability is not directly impacted, the trustworthiness and security of the site are undermined. Organizations running multi-author WordPress sites or community platforms are particularly at risk, as attackers can leverage this to escalate privileges or conduct broader attacks. The requirement for authenticated access limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with many contributors or weak access controls. Without mitigation, this vulnerability could facilitate targeted attacks against high-value websites, damaging reputation and user trust.

To mitigate CVE-2024-9708, organizations should first check for and apply any official patches or updates from the wpdelower Easy SVG Upload plugin as soon as they become available. In the absence of patches, immediate steps include restricting upload permissions to trusted users only, ideally limiting SVG uploads to administrators rather than Authors. Implement additional server-side validation and sanitization of SVG files using specialized libraries that remove or neutralize embedded scripts and potentially dangerous elements. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution sources and reduce the impact of injected scripts. Regularly audit user roles and permissions to minimize the number of users with upload capabilities. Monitor web server and application logs for suspicious upload activity or unusual SVG file accesses. Consider temporarily disabling SVG upload functionality if it is not essential. Educate site administrators and users about the risks of uploading untrusted SVG content. Finally, conduct security testing and code reviews focusing on input validation and output encoding for all user-uploaded content.