Popup More <= 2.2.4 - Authenticated (Admin+) Directory Traversal to Limited Local File Inclusion
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.2.5
- Affected Plugin
- AI Popup
- Affected Version
2.1.6- CVSS
- 4.7Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2024-0844
At a glance
CVE-2024-0844 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the AI Popup WordPress plugin, affecting versions 2.1.6. It carries a CVSS score of 4.7 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Admin level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.2.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed February 2024, reported by 0x9567b.
Vulnerability Overview
The Popup More Popups, Lightboxes, and more popup modules plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in version 2.1.6 via the ycfChangeElementData() function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary files ending with "Form.php" on the server , allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where images and other “safe” file types can be uploaded and included.
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')
AI Popup 2.1.6 carries this weakness at safe, and reaching it takes an account at Admin 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 AI Popup the fix is 2.2.5: builds 2.1.6 are affected, anything from 2.2.5 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.2.5, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Admin 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: AI Popup 2.2.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in AI Popup
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