Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.0.2
- Affected Plugin
- Sell Downloads
- Affected Version
<= 1.0.1- CVSS
- 7.5High
- Weakness type
- CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
- CVE
CVE-2014-9511
At a glance
CVE-2014-9511 is a high-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Sell Downloads WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.0.1. It carries a CVSS score of 7.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.0.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed December 2014, reported by James Hooker.
Vulnerability Overview
The Sell Downloads plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Read in versions up to, and including, 1.0.1 via the 'file' parameter. This can allow unauthenticated attackers to extract sensitive data such as settings/configuration files along with other useful information that can be used in future attacks.
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 confidentiality.
CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Sell Downloads <= 1.0.1 carries this weakness at file, and reaching it 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 Sell Downloads the fix is 1.0.2: builds <= 1.0.1 are affected, anything from 1.0.2 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.0.2, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Sell Downloads: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Sell Downloads 1.0.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
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