CVE-2015-10136

GI-Media Library < 3.0 - Directory Traversal

2015-01-15 00:00
Anonymous

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.0
Affected Plugin
GI-Media Library
Affected Version
< 3.0
CVSS
7.5High
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2015-10136
View all GI-Media Library vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2015-10136 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the GI-Media Library WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 3.0. 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 3.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2015.

Vulnerability Overview

The GI-Media Library plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in versions before 3.0 via the 'fileid' parameter. This allows 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 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')

GI-Media Library < 3.0 carries this weakness at fileid, 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 GI-Media Library the fix is 3.0: builds < 3.0 are affected, anything from 3.0 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.0, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to GI-Media Library: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: GI-Media Library 3.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

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