CVE-2014-9119

DB Backup < 5.0 - Directory Traversal

2014-12-16 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 5.0
Affected Plugin: DB Backup
Affected Version: < 5.0
CVSS: 7.5High
Weakness type: CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE: CVE-2014-9119

At a glance

CVE-2014-9119 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the DB Backup WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 5.0. It carries a CVSS score of 7.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 5.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed December 2014, reported by Henri Salo (fgeek).

Vulnerability Overview

Directory traversal vulnerability in download.php in the DB Backup plugin 4.5 and earlier for Wordpress allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) in the file parameter.

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.

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

Reaching this weakness in DB Backup < 5.0 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 DB Backup the fix is 5.0: builds < 5.0 are affected, anything from 5.0 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 5.0, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to DB Backup: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: DB Backup 5.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-9119 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/faaade72-35d9-4597-812b-758fa2641472 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-9119

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in DB Backup

4.3CVE-2025-50031: DB Backup <= 6.0 Missing AuthorizationCVE-2025-50031

CVSS Vector

7.5

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

Base

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

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