UpdraftPlus < 1.16.59 - Authenticated (Admin+) Local File Inclusion

2021-07-12 00:00
Anonymous

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 1.16.59
Affected Plugin
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin
Affected Version
<= 1.16.56
CVSS
7.2High
Weakness type
CWE-98 · Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')
CVE
CVE pending
View all UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a high-severity Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion') vulnerability in the UpdraftPlus WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.16.56. 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 Admin level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.16.59; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2021.

Vulnerability Overview

The UpdraftPlus plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in versions up to, and including, 1.16.56 via the updraft_service settings. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level permissions and above, to include and execute arbitrary files 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. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-98: Improper Control of Filename for Include/Require Statement in PHP Program ('PHP Remote File Inclusion')

UpdraftPlus <= 1.16.56 carries this weakness at safe, and reaching it takes an account at Admin level or above. PHP file inclusion means a path used by include or require is built from request data, so the file that gets executed is under the caller's influence.

Including an attacker-influenced file executes its contents, which is why this class is routinely chained with an upload or log-poisoning step to reach code execution. For UpdraftPlus the fix is 1.16.59: builds <= 1.16.56 are affected, anything from 1.16.59 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.16.59, 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. 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: UpdraftPlus 1.16.59 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Scanner
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/40d80e47-3411-4e70-8a20-2e698daad6e7

Related records

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