Grid Plus <= 1.3.3 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Local File Inclusion via Shortcode
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.3.4
- Affected Plugin
- Grid Plus – Unlimited grid layout
- Affected Version
<= 1.3.3- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-98 · Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')
- CVE
CVE-2023-5250
At a glance
CVE-2023-5250 is a high-severity Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in the Grid Plus WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.3.3. 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 Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.3.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed October 2023, reported by István Márton.
Vulnerability Overview
The Grid Plus plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in versions up to, and including, 1.3.3 via a shortcode attribute. This allows subscriber-level, and above, attackers to include and execute arbitrary files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where PHP files with arbitrary content can be uploaded and included.
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-98: Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')
Reaching this weakness in Grid Plus <= 1.3.3 takes an account at Subscriber level or above. PHP file inclusion means a path used by include or require is built from request data, so the file that gets executed is under the caller's influence.
Including an attacker-influenced file executes its contents, which is why this class is routinely chained with an upload or log-poisoning step to reach code execution. For Grid Plus the fix is 1.3.4: builds <= 1.3.3 are affected, anything from 1.3.4 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.3.4, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Subscriber 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. Classes like this one can leave something behind, so the staged malware scanner is the second half: it looks for dropped files and modified code rather than for the request that created them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Grid Plus 1.3.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Scanner
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Grid Plus – Unlimited grid layout
- 7.3CVE-2024-10910: Grid Plus Arbitrary Shortcode Execution
CVE-2024-10910 - 6.1CVE-2025-53352: Grid Plus <= 3.3 Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2025-53352 - 6.1CVE-2023-46209: Grid Plus <= 1.3.4 Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2023-46209 - 5.4CVE-2023-5251: Grid Plus Authenticated (Subscriber+) Grid Layout
CVE-2023-5251
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