CVE-2015-1365

Pixabay Images <= 2.3 - Directory Traversal

2015-01-19 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.4
Affected Plugin: Pixabay Images
Affected Version: <= 2.3
CVSS: 7.5High
Weakness type: CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE: CVE-2015-1365

At a glance

CVE-2015-1365 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Pixabay Images WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.3. It carries a CVSS score of 7.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2015, reported by Hans-Martin Muench.

Vulnerability Overview

Directory traversal vulnerability in pixabay-images.php in the Pixabay Images plugin before 2.4 for WordPress allows remote attackers to write to arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) in the q parameter.

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 privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on integrity.

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

Reaching this weakness in Pixabay Images <= 2.3 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 Pixabay Images the fix is 2.4: builds <= 2.3 are affected, anything from 2.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.4, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Pixabay Images: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Pixabay Images 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-2015-1365 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/35c12f80-d069-44ed-b6a5-caa060fbd281 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-1365

Related records

Other vulnerabilities in Pixabay Images

CVSS Vector

7.5

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityNone

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