CVE-2024-13799
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows authenticated WordPress users with Subscriber-level access or higher to inject malicious scripts via the 'new-fldr-name' parameter in the User Private Files plugin. The injected scripts execute whenever other users view affected pages, enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or site defacement. All WordPress sites using vulnerable plugin versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- User Private Files – File Upload & Download Manager with Secure File Sharing WordPress plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal administrator credentials, take over the WordPress site, install backdoors, or redirect users to malicious sites, potentially compromising the entire web server.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious JavaScript to steal user session cookies, redirect users to phishing pages, or deface the website with malicious content.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output escaping, the attack would fail, and only sanitized data would be displayed to users.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is straightforward; proof-of-concept code is publicly available in the WordPress plugin repository changes.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.1.4 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3240877/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'User Private Files' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or manually update to version 2.1.4+. 5. Verify the plugin is active and functioning.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the User Private Files plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate user-private-files
Restrict user roles
allLimit Subscriber role creation or implement role-based access controls
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block XSS payloads in the 'new-fldr-name' parameter
- Remove Subscriber role from untrusted users and implement strict user registration controls
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for 'User Private Files' version 2.1.3 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get user-private-files --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 2.1.4 or later in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with 'new-fldr-name' parameter containing script tags
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful Subscriber login
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with JavaScript payloads in 'new-fldr-name' parameter
- Unexpected outbound connections from WordPress server after file operations
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND "new-fldr-name" AND ("<script>" OR "javascript:" OR "onerror=" OR "onload=")