dbcve.org
Shortcodes UltimateWordPress extension · Getshortcodes

CVE-2017-2245

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2017-07-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.9.9 or later.
See remediation →
56/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Directory traversal vulnerability in Shortcodes Ultimate prior to version 4.10.0 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via unspecified vectors.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Directory traversal vulnerability in the Shortcodes Ultimate WordPress plugin versions prior to 4.10.0 allows remote unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary files on the server by manipulating file path parameters used in the plugin's shortcode functionality without proper sanitization.

MitigationUpdate Shortcodes Ultimate plugin to version 4.10.0 or later to obtain the patched code that properly sanitizes file path inputs; alternatively, disable the plugin until the update can be applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Shortcodes UltimateWordPress extension
Affected:<= 4.9.9

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate the Shortcodes Ultimate plugin installation
    Check your WordPress installation's wp-content/plugins/shortcodes-ultimate/ directory exists, or query the WordPress database wp_options table for option_name = 'active_plugins' to see if the plugin is listed as active.
    Affected if The plugin directory exists or the plugin appears in active plugins - meaning the plugin is installed
  2. Determine the installed plugin version
    Open the main plugin file (typically shortcodes-ultimate.php) and locate the Version header in the plugin comment block at the top, or check the readme.txt file for the stable tag.
    Affected if The reported version is 4.9.9 or earlier - this indicates the vulnerable version is installed
  3. Identify shortcodes that handle file paths
    Review the plugin's shortcode implementations in includes/ directory, specifically looking for shortcodes that accept file path parameters (commonly 'file', 'include', or similar name shortcodes that load external content).
    Affected if A shortcode exists that accepts file path input without sanitization - the vulnerability requires this feature to be exploitable
  4. Examine web server access logs for exploitation attempts
    Search access logs (Apache, Nginx, or CDN logs) for requests to pages containing patterns like [su_file or shortcodes with directory traversal sequences such as ../../ or absolute paths like /etc/passwd.
    Affected if Requests containing ../ sequences or absolute system file paths in shortcode parameters are found - this indicates active exploitation attempts

You are affected if the Shortcodes Ultimate plugin version is 4.9.9 or earlier AND a file-handling shortcode is exposed on your site, as this combination allows unauthenticated attackers to read arbitrary server files via directory traversal.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 4.9.9
Interim mitigation

Update Shortcodes Ultimate plugin to version 4.10.0 or later to obtain the patched code that properly sanitizes file path inputs; alternatively, disable the plugin until the update can be applied.

Fix this in Shortcodes Ultimate Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-2245 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-2245 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data