CVE-2017-18586

Insert Pages < 3.2.4 - Authenticated Directory Traversal

2017-09-29 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.2.4
Affected Plugin: Insert Pages
Affected Version: < 3.2.4
CVSS: 6.5Medium
Weakness type: CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE: CVE-2017-18586

At a glance

CVE-2017-18586 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Insert Pages WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 3.2.4. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account. The issue is fixed in version 3.2.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2017.

Vulnerability Overview

The Insert Pages plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to directory traversal via custom template paths in versions before 3.2.4. This allows editor-level 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 interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity.

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

Reaching this weakness in Insert Pages < 3.2.4 takes any authenticated account. 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 Insert Pages the fix is 3.2.4: builds < 3.2.4 are affected, anything from 3.2.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.2.4, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Insert Pages: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Insert Pages 3.2.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-18586 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/9efac984-21ef-4e02-8ead-bf4205ddb38d https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-18586

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Insert Pages

CVSS Vector

6.5

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredHigh
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityNone

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