CVE-2022-2945

WordPress Infinite Scroll – Ajax Load More <= 5.5.3 - Directory Traversal

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-2022-2945
View all Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2022-2945 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). 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 Directory Traversal in versions up to, and including, 5.5.3 via the 'type' parameter found in the alm_get_layout() function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrative permissions, to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information.

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 type, and reaching it 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 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?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Ajax Load More: 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-2022-2945https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/8957413c-95e0-49c8-ba8a-02b9b5141e08https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-2945

Related records

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