CVE-2022-2431

Download Manager <= 3.2.50 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Arbitrary File Deletion

2022-07-27 00:00
Chloe Chamberland

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.2.51
Affected Plugin
Download Manager
Affected Version
<= 3.2.50
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2022-2431
View all Download Manager vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2022-2431 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Download Manager WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.2.50. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 3.2.51; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2022, reported by Chloe Chamberland.

Vulnerability Overview

The Download Manager plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion in versions up to, and including 3.2.50. This is due to insufficient file type and path validation on the deleteFiles() function found in the ~/Admin/Menu/Packages.php file that triggers upon download post deletion. This makes it possible for contributor level users and above to supply an arbitrary file path via the 'file[files]' parameter when creating a download post and once the user deletes the post the supplied arbitrary file will be deleted. This can be used by attackers to delete the /wp-config.php file which will reset the installation and make it possible for an attacker to achieve remote code execution on the server.

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, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

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

Download Manager <= 3.2.50 carries this weakness at file[files], and reaching it takes an account at Contributor 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 Download Manager the fix is 3.2.51: builds <= 3.2.50 are affected, anything from 3.2.51 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.2.51, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Contributor 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: Download Manager 3.2.51 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-2431https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/f3c9c798-8545-475e-879b-7e44dac493f0https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-2431

Related records

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