Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-13658 is a stored cross-site scripting issue in the NGG Smart Image Search WordPress plugin. A logged-in user with Contributor-level access or higher could place malicious script through the plugin shortcode, causing script execution when affected content is viewed.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority WordPress content integrity risk. Prioritize remediation where external contributors, agencies, or many authors have accounts, because stored XSS can undermine admin sessions and visitor trust.
Technical view
The issue affects NGG Smart Image Search up to and including 3.2.1 through insufficient sanitization and output escaping of attributes supplied to the hr_SIS_nextgen_searchbox shortcode. It is classified as CWE-79 with CVSS 3.1 score 6.4, requiring low-privilege authentication.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to WordPress sites running NGG Smart Image Search version 3.2.1 or earlier, especially where Contributor or higher accounts are broadly issued or weakly governed.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not report active exploitation, and KEV is false. Exploitation requires an authenticated Contributor-level or higher account, but stored XSS can affect other users who later view the injected page.
Researcher notes
The main evidence identifies a shortcode attribute escaping flaw in versions up to 3.2.1. The bundle includes a WordPress Trac changeset reference, but it does not provide enough quoted detail here to assert a specific fixed version.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory WordPress sites for NGG Smart Image Search versions 3.2.1 or earlier.
- Update if a vendor-confirmed fixed version newer than 3.2.1 is available.
- Restrict Contributor and higher roles to trusted users only.
- Review content using the hr_SIS_nextgen_searchbox shortcode for suspicious attributes.
- Check WordPress plugin and vendor guidance for confirmed remediation details.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether NGG Smart Image Search is installed and enabled.
- Record installed plugin version across all WordPress environments.
- Identify posts or pages using the affected shortcode.
- Review Contributor-level and higher accounts for unnecessary access.
- Verify remediation against vendor or WordPress.org plugin release information.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2024-13658 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N3.12.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/d916e320-e78b-4305-a4da-10c6fb8db41a?source=cveCVE reference
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&old=3233519%40ngg-smart-image-search&new=3233519%40ngg-smart-image-search&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.