CVE-2023-44227

Simple File List <= 6.1.9 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Deletion

2023-09-28 00:00
Rafshanzani Suhada

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 6.1.10
Affected Plugin
Simple File List
Affected Version
<= 6.1.9
CVSS
9.1Critical
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2023-44227
View all Simple File List vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-44227 is a critical-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Simple File List WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 6.1.9. It carries a CVSS score of 9.1 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 6.1.10; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2023, reported by Rafshanzani Suhada.

Vulnerability Overview

The Simple File List plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion in versions up to, and including, 6.1.9. This is due to insufficient controls on files passed to a deletion function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to delete arbitrary files, which can lead to a denial of service or remote code execution when the wp-config.php file is deleted.

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, availability.

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

Reaching this weakness in Simple File List <= 6.1.9 takes no account at all. 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 Simple File List the fix is 6.1.10: builds <= 6.1.9 are affected, anything from 6.1.10 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 6.1.10, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Simple File List 6.1.10 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-44227https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/7eada9b7-8d53-4e95-858e-aa706f74b2a1https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-44227

Related records

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