CVE-2024-11642

Post Grid Master <= 3.4.12 - Missing Authorization to Unauthenticated Local PHP File Inclusion

2025-01-08 22:10
1337_Wannabe

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.4.13
Affected Plugin
Post Grid Master — Post Grids & AJAX Filters
Affected Version
<= 3.4.12
CVSS
9.8Critical
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2024-11642
View all Post Grid Master — Post Grids & AJAX Filters vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-11642 is a critical-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Post Grid Master WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.4.12. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 3.4.13; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2025, reported by 1337_Wannabe.

Vulnerability Overview

The Post Grid Master – Custom Post Types, Taxonomies & Ajax Filter Everything with Infinite Scroll, Load More, Pagination & Shortcode Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 3.4.12 via the 'locate_template' function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to include and execute arbitrary files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where images and other “safe” file types can be uploaded and included. The file included must have a .php extension.

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 privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

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

Post Grid Master <= 3.4.12 carries this weakness at locate_template, and reaching it takes no account at all. 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 Post Grid Master the fix is 3.4.13: builds <= 3.4.12 are affected, anything from 3.4.13 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.4.13, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Post Grid Master 3.4.13 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-11642https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/b299a932-8167-4547-845b-637c4971360dhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-11642

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C