CVE-2022-2943

WordPress Infinite Scroll – Ajax Load More <= 5.5.3 - Authenticated (Admin+) Arbitrary File Read

2022-08-22 00:00
Muhammad Zeeshan (Xib3rR4dAr)

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 5.5.4
Affected Plugin
Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load
Affected Version
<= 5.5.3
CVSS
4.9Medium
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2022-2943
View all Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2022-2943 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Ajax Load More WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 5.5.3. It carries a CVSS score of 4.9 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Admin level or above. The issue is fixed in version 5.5.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2022, reported by Muhammad Zeeshan (Xib3rR4dAr).

Vulnerability Overview

The WordPress Infinite Scroll – Ajax Load More plugin for Wordpress is vulnerable to arbitrary file reading in versions up to, and including, 5.5.3 due to insufficient file path validation on the alm_repeaters_export() function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrative privileges, to download arbitrary files hosted on the server that may contain sensitive content, such as the wp-config.php file.

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')

Ajax Load More <= 5.5.3 carries this weakness at alm_repeaters_export(), and reaching it takes an account at Admin level or above. 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 Ajax Load More the fix is 5.5.4: builds <= 5.5.3 are affected, anything from 5.5.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 5.5.4, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Admin access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Ajax Load More 5.5.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-2943https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/6d643d07-7533-430b-a1d8-8e66a2a2c5e6https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-2943

Related records

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