CVE-2024-6823 – The Media Library Assistant WordPress plugin al... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-6823?

CVE-2024-6823 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). The Media Library Assistant WordPress plugin allows authenticated attackers with Author-level access or higher to upload arbitrary files due to missing file type validation. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 3.18, potentially enabling remote code execution on vulnerable WordPress sites.

📋 TL;DR

The Media Library Assistant WordPress plugin allows authenticated attackers with Author-level access or higher to upload arbitrary files due to missing file type validation. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 3.18, potentially enabling remote code execution on vulnerable WordPress sites.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Media Library Assistant WordPress Plugin

Versions: All versions up to and including 3.18

Operating Systems: All operating systems running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires attacker to have Author-level WordPress user account or higher.

📦 What is this software?

Media Library Assistant by Davidlingren

View all CVEs affecting Media Library Assistant →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full server compromise through remote code execution, allowing attackers to install backdoors, steal data, or pivot to other systems.

🟠

Likely Case

Website defacement, malware distribution, or data exfiltration through uploaded malicious files.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if proper file upload restrictions and web application firewalls are in place.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires authenticated access but is straightforward once credentials are obtained.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 3.19

Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/media-library-assistant/#developers

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find Media Library Assistant. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or manually update to version 3.19+. 5. Verify update completed successfully.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable vulnerable AJAX action

all

Remove or block access to the vulnerable mla-inline-edit-upload-scripts AJAX endpoint

Add to wp-config.php: define('MLA_DISABLE_UPLOAD', true);

Restrict file uploads via .htaccess

linux

Block execution of uploaded files in wp-content/uploads directory

Add to .htaccess in wp-content/uploads: <FilesMatch "\.(php|phtml|php3|php4|php5|php7|phps|php8|pl|py|jsp|asp|sh|cgi)">\n  Order Allow,Deny\n  Deny from all\n</FilesMatch>

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Temporarily disable the Media Library Assistant plugin
Implement strict file upload validation at web server level

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Media Library Assistant → Version. If version is 3.18 or lower, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

wp plugin list --name=media-library-assistant --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm plugin version is 3.19 or higher in WordPress admin panel.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Multiple failed upload attempts to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=mla-inline-edit-upload-scripts
Unusual file uploads to wp-content/uploads directory

Network Indicators:

POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with unusual file extensions in payload

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress.log" AND "admin-ajax.php" AND "mla-inline-edit-upload-scripts" AND ("php" OR "phtml" OR "jsp" OR "asp")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-6823

CVSS v3 Score: 8.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-434

Published: August 13, 2024

Last Updated: February 7, 2025

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2024-6823, you might also want to check these: