CVE-2024-31287

Media Library Folders <= 8.1.8 - Authenticated (Author+) Directory Traversal

2024-04-05 00:00
Majed Refaea

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 8.1.9
Affected Plugin
Media Library Folders
Affected Version
<= 8.1.8
CVSS
4.3Medium
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2024-31287
View all Media Library Folders vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-31287 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Media Library Folders WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 8.1.8. It carries a CVSS score of 4.3 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Author level or above. The issue is fixed in version 8.1.9; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2024, reported by Majed Refaea.

Vulnerability Overview

The Media Library Folders plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 8.1.8. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author-level access and above, to read/access 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.

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

Reaching this weakness in Media Library Folders <= 8.1.8 takes an account at Author 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 Media Library Folders the fix is 8.1.9: builds <= 8.1.8 are affected, anything from 8.1.9 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 8.1.9, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Author 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: Media Library Folders 8.1.9 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-31287https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/4534efd4-0e6b-4784-8f81-4a643f657c66https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-31287

Related records

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