CVE-2006-5705

WordPress Core <= 2.0.4 - Directory Traversal

2006-10-27 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.0.5
Affected Core: WordPress 2.0
Affected Version: <= 2.0.4
CVSS: 6.5Medium
Weakness type: CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE: CVE-2006-5705

At a glance

CVE-2006-5705 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the WordPress 2.0 WordPress release line, affecting <= 2.0.4. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). The issue is fixed in version 2.0.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2006.

Vulnerability Overview

Multiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in plugins/wp-db-backup.php in WordPress before 2.0.5 allow remote authenticated users to read or overwrite arbitrary files via directory traversal sequences in the (1) backup and (2) fragment parameters in a GET request.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality.

CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Reaching this weakness in WordPress 2.0 <= 2.0.4 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Path traversal happens when user-controlled text is used to build a filesystem path without being constrained to an intended directory, so sequences like ../ walk the resolved path somewhere else.

Depending on the operation, it means reading files outside the intended folder — wp-config.php being the usual target — or writing to and deleting paths the web server can touch. For WordPress 2.0 the fix is 2.0.5: builds <= 2.0.4 are affected, anything from 2.0.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.0.5, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to WordPress 2.0: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: updating to 2.0.5 is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-5705 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/83ec5fa5-2fd9-4c7d-a2f1-de885746d2d3 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2006-5705

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in WordPress 2.0

CVSS Vector

6.5

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

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