CVE-2024-9765
📋 TL;DR
The EKC Tournament Manager WordPress plugin before version 2.2.2 contains a directory traversal vulnerability that allows authenticated administrators to download arbitrary system files outside the WordPress directory. This affects WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of the plugin with administrator accounts.
💻 Affected Systems
- EKC Tournament Manager WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Administrator credentials are compromised, allowing attackers to download sensitive system files like /etc/passwd, configuration files, or database credentials, potentially leading to full system compromise.
Likely Case
Malicious administrator or compromised admin account downloads sensitive files containing credentials, configuration data, or other sensitive information.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, impact is limited to authorized administrators who should already have system access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires administrator credentials. The vulnerability is publicly documented with proof-of-concept details available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.2.2
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/c86157b0-43f3-4e82-9697-7dd9401b48d6/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find EKC Tournament Manager. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or download version 2.2.2+ from WordPress repository. 5. Activate the updated plugin.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the EKC Tournament Manager plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate ekc-tournament-manager
Restrict admin access
allImplement strict access controls and monitoring for administrator accounts
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove administrator access from untrusted users and implement strict access controls
- Implement file integrity monitoring and alert on unusual file access patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → EKC Tournament Manager version. If version is below 2.2.2, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get ekc-tournament-manager --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 2.2.2 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file download requests from admin users
- HTTP requests with directory traversal patterns (../) to plugin endpoints
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing directory traversal sequences to /wp-content/plugins/ekc-tournament-manager/ endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND uri="*ekc-tournament-manager*" AND (uri="*../*" OR uri="*..%2f*")