Easy WP SMTP <= 1.5.1 - Authenticated (Admin+) Arbitrary File Deletion
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.5.2
- Affected Plugin
- Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more
- Affected Version
<= 1.5.1- CVSS
- 6.5Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2022-45829
At a glance
CVE-2022-45829 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Easy WP SMTP WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.5.1. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Admin level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.5.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2022, reported by TomS (Rand0mGen).
Vulnerability Overview
The Easy WP SMTP plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Deletion versions up to, and including, 1.5.1. This is possibly due to the SMTP import/export functionality. This makes it possible for administrator-level attackers to arbitrarily delete files on the server, including critical files for the website's functionality.
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 integrity, availability.
CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Reaching this weakness in Easy WP SMTP <= 1.5.1 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 Easy WP SMTP the fix is 1.5.2: builds <= 1.5.1 are affected, anything from 1.5.2 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.5.2, 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: Easy WP SMTP 1.5.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Same weakness class
Other vulnerabilities in Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more
- 9.8CVE-2019-25141: Easy WP SMTP <= 1.3.9 Arbitrary Options Update
CVE-2019-25141 - 8.1CVE-2020-35234: Easy WP SMTP <= 1.4.2 Sensitive Information Disclosure
CVE-2020-35234 - 7.2CVE-2022-42699: Easy WP SMTP <= 1.5.1 Remote Code Execution
CVE-2022-42699 - 7.2CVE-2022-3334: Easy WP SMTP <= 1.4.9 PHP Object Injection
CVE-2022-3334 - 6.1CVE-2017-7723: Easy WP SMTP <= 1.2.4 Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2017-7723 - 2.7CVE-2024-3073: Easy WP SMTP… Exposure of Sensitive Information
CVE-2024-3073
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