CVE-2024-7985
📋 TL;DR
The FileOrganizer WordPress plugin allows authenticated users with Subscriber-level access or higher to upload arbitrary files due to missing file type validation. This vulnerability can lead to remote code execution on affected WordPress sites. The FileOrganizer Pro plugin must be installed and active for Subscriber+ users to have upload permissions.
💻 Affected Systems
- FileOrganizer – Manage WordPress and Website Files plugin
📦 What is this software?
Fileorganizer by Fileorganizer
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers gain full server control through remote code execution, leading to data theft, site defacement, malware distribution, or complete system compromise.
Likely Case
Attackers upload web shells or malicious scripts to execute arbitrary code, potentially gaining administrative access to the WordPress site and server.
If Mitigated
With proper file upload restrictions and user permission controls, impact is limited to unauthorized file uploads without execution capabilities.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access with Subscriber-level permissions or higher. The vulnerability is in the fileorganizer_ajax_handler function which lacks proper file validation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.1.0
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/3149878/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find FileOrganizer plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download version 1.1.0+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable FileOrganizer Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate fileorganizer
Restrict File Uploads via .htaccess
linuxBlock execution of uploaded files in upload directories
<FilesMatch "\.(php|php5|php7|phtml|phar)$">
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
</FilesMatch>
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove upload permissions from Subscriber+ user roles in FileOrganizer settings
- Implement web application firewall rules to block suspicious file upload patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → FileOrganizer version. If version is 1.0.9 or lower, the site is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get fileorganizer --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 1.1.0 or higher in WordPress admin panel. Test file upload functionality with non-admin user to confirm restrictions.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file uploads to /wp-content/uploads/fileorganizer/
- POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=fileorganizer_ajax_handler
- Execution of PHP files from upload directories
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests with file uploads to admin-ajax.php endpoint
- Unusual outbound connections from WordPress server after file uploads
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("fileorganizer_ajax_handler" OR "/wp-content/uploads/fileorganizer/") AND ("POST" OR "upload")