CVE-2019-14788

Newsletters <= 4.6.18 - Directory Traversal

2019-07-01 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 4.6.19
Affected Plugin: Newsletters
Affected Version: < 4.6.19
CVSS: 8.8High
Weakness type: CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE: CVE-2019-14788

At a glance

CVE-2019-14788 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Newsletters WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 4.6.19. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). The issue is fixed in version 4.6.19; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2019.

Vulnerability Overview

wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=newsletters_exportmultiple in the Tribulant Newsletters plugin before 4.6.19 for WordPress allows directory traversal with resultant remote PHP code execution via the subscribers[1][1] parameter in conjunction with an exportfile=../ value.

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

Reaching this weakness in Newsletters < 4.6.19 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 Newsletters the fix is 4.6.19: builds < 4.6.19 are affected, anything from 4.6.19 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 4.6.19, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Newsletters: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Newsletters 4.6.19 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-14788 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/1aa7a7f9-f331-4d06-94ea-182535080a90 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-14788

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in Newsletters

CVSS Vector

8.8

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

This record contains material that is subject to copyright

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse

Defiant hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute this software vulnerability information. Any copy of the software vulnerability information you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you include a hyperlink to this vulnerability record and reproduce Defiant's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.wordfence.com/wordfence-intelligence-terms-and-conditions/