CVE-2024-34808

JCH Optimize <= 4.2.0 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Directory Traversal

2024-05-13 00:00
Dhabaleshwar Das

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 4.2.1
Affected Plugin
JCH Optimize
Affected Version
<= 4.2.0
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2024-34808
View all JCH Optimize vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-34808 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the JCH Optimize WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.2.0. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 4.2.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2024, reported by Dhabaleshwar Das.

Vulnerability Overview

The JCH Optimize plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 4.2.0. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber access and above, to access directory information on the Optimize Image page.

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.

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

Reaching this weakness in JCH Optimize <= 4.2.0 takes an account at Subscriber 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 JCH Optimize the fix is 4.2.1: builds <= 4.2.0 are affected, anything from 4.2.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 4.2.1, 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. None of that substitutes for the fix: JCH Optimize 4.2.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-34808https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/b08194e9-6e6e-484c-bc5b-87235379d3b1https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-34808

Related records

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