CVE-2021-24177

WP File Manager <= 7.0 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting

2021-02-26 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 7.1
Affected Plugin: File Manager
Affected Version: < 7.1
CVSS: 5.4Medium
Weakness type: CWE-79 · Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
CVE: CVE-2021-24177

At a glance

CVE-2021-24177 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in the File Manager WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 7.1. It carries a CVSS score of 5.4 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 7.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed February 2021, reported by Veno Eivazian.

Vulnerability Overview

In the default configuration of the File Manager WordPress plugin before 7.1, a Reflected XSS can occur on the endpoint /wp-admin/admin.php?page=wp_file_manager_properties when a payload is submitted on the User-Agent parameter. The payload is then reflected back on the web application response.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed.

CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

Reaching this weakness in File Manager < 7.1 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Cross-site scripting happens when input from a request is written into a page without being escaped for the context it lands in, so the browser parses attacker-supplied text as markup or script.

Injected script runs with the privileges of whoever views the affected page, which is how these flaws turn into administrator session theft, silent account creation or persistent backdoors in page content. For File Manager the fix is 7.1: builds < 7.1 are affected, anything from 7.1 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 7.1, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to File Manager: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: File Manager 7.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-24177 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/eb088999-0727-4645-890b-f584b85cda48 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-24177

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in File Manager

CVSS Vector

5.4

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionRequired
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

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