CVE-2021-24962

WordPress File Upload / WordPress File Upload Pro <= 4.16.2 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Path Traversal

2022-03-01 00:00
apple502j

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 4.16.3
Affected Plugin
Iptanus File Upload
Affected Version
<= 4.16.2
CVSS
6.5Medium
Weakness type
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CVE
CVE-2021-24962
View all Iptanus File Upload vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2021-24962 is a medium-severity Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in the Iptanus File Upload WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 4.16.2. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 4.16.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2022, reported by apple502j.

Vulnerability Overview

The WordPress File Upload Free and Pro WordPress plugins before 4.16.3 allow users with a role as low as Contributor to perform path traversal via a shortcode argument, which can then be used to upload a PHP code disguised as an image inside the auto-loaded directory of the plugin, resulting in arbitrary code execution.

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.

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

Reaching this weakness in Iptanus File Upload <= 4.16.2 takes an account at Contributor level or above. 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 Iptanus File Upload the fix is 4.16.3: builds <= 4.16.2 are affected, anything from 4.16.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 4.16.3, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Contributor 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. None of that substitutes for the fix: Iptanus File Upload 4.16.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-24962https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/b9cc0348-396e-4be1-92f5-851d20804ef5https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-24962

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C