Prevent files / folders access <= 2.5.1 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Arbitrary File Upload in mo_media_restrict_page
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.5.2
- Affected Plugin
- Prevent Files / Folders Access
- Affected Version
<= 2.5.1- CVSS
- 7.2High
- Weakness type
- CWE-434 · Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
- CVE
CVE-2023-4238
At a glance
CVE-2023-4238 is a high-severity Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type vulnerability in the Prevent Files / Folders Access WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.5.1. It carries a CVSS score of 7.2 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Administrator level or above. The issue is fixed in version 2.5.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2023, reported by Dmitrii Ignatyev.
Vulnerability Overview
The Prevent files / folders access plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file uploads due to missing file type validation in the mo_media_restrict_page function in versions up to, and including, 2.5.1. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level privileges and above, to upload arbitrary files on the affected site's server which may make remote code execution possible.
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-434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
Reaching this weakness in Prevent Files / Folders Access <= 2.5.1 takes an account at Administrator level or above. An unrestricted file upload lets a caller store a file whose type or destination the application does not properly constrain.
If an uploaded file lands anywhere the server will execute, the flaw becomes remote code execution and the site should be treated as fully compromised. For Prevent Files / Folders Access the fix is 2.5.2: builds <= 2.5.1 are affected, anything from 2.5.2 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.5.2, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Administrator 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. Classes like this one can leave something behind, so the staged malware scanner is the second half: it looks for dropped files and modified code rather than for the request that created them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Prevent Files / Folders Access 2.5.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Scanner
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Prevent Files / Folders Access
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