Database Cleaner <= 1.0.5 - Authenticated (Admin+) Arbitrary File Read
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.0.6
- Affected Plugin
- Database Cleaner
- Affected Version
<= 1.0.5- CVSS
- 4.9Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2024-35712
At a glance
CVE-2024-35712 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Database Cleaner WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.0.5. 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 1.0.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2024, reported by Ananda Dhakal.
Vulnerability Overview
The Database Cleaner: Clean, Optimize & Repair plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Read in all versions up to, and including, 1.0.5 via the get_logs() function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers 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')
Database Cleaner <= 1.0.5 carries this weakness at get_logs(), 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 Database Cleaner the fix is 1.0.6: builds <= 1.0.5 are affected, anything from 1.0.6 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.0.6, 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: Database Cleaner 1.0.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Database Cleaner
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C