WordPress component: A security weakness

WordPress component is affected by a security weakness. Exposure depends on how the affected operation is made reachable by the site. The resulting impact depends on how the affected component exposes the vulnerable operation.

CVE / CNA score 7.2 CVSS · cve@mitre.org

NVD score 7.2 CVSS 3.0 · nvd@nist.gov

Component: WordPress component
Plugin slug: Not applicable
Affected: See vendor advisory
Safe version: See mitigation notes
Published: Aug 10, 2018
Weakness: CWE-434 — Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type

What to do

Update, patch or deactivate.

Update WordPress component to a release outside the affected range, or disable and remove it until a fixed version is available.

No confirmed safe version is listed. Consider a vendor-supported patch or temporarily restricting the affected functionality while you assess the risk.

Deactivate only when warranted by your risk profile, or when advised by your hosting provider in the limited circumstances where the vulnerability cannot otherwise be mitigated. If you’re unsure which action is appropriate, contact Fused or your hosting provider for guidance.

Source record

Technical description

In WordPress 4.9.7, plugins uploaded via the admin area are not verified as being ZIP files. This allows for PHP files to be uploaded. Once a PHP file is uploaded, the plugin extraction fails, but the PHP file remains in a predictable wp-content/uploads location, allowing for an attacker to then execute the file. This represents a security risk in limited scenarios where an attacker (who does have the required capabilities for plugin uploads) cannot simply place arbitrary PHP code into a valid plugin ZIP file and upload that plugin, because a machine's wp-content/plugins directory permissions were set up to block all new plugins.

NVD vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References

Update, patch or deactivate.

Technical description

Primary and upstream sources