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File AwayWordPress extension · File Away Project

CVE-2023-0431

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.9.9.0.1 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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
The File Away WordPress plugin through 3.9.9.0.1 does not validate and escape one of its shortcode attributes, which could allow users with a role as low as contributor to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting attack.

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 · high confidence

The File Away WordPress plugin through version 3.9.9.0.1 fails to validate and escape a shortcode attribute, allowing stored cross-site scripting attacks. Users with contributor-level permissions can inject malicious JavaScript via the vulnerable shortcode, which executes when other users view the affected content.

MitigationUpdate the File Away plugin to a patched version that implements proper input validation and output escaping on all shortcode attributes. Until patched, restrict contributor-level access and audit existing content using the plugin's shortcodes.

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
File AwayWordPress extension
Affected:<= 3.9.9.0.1

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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. Verify the installed File Away plugin version
    Go to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins > look for 'File Away' and check the version number displayed under the plugin name
    Affected if The version listed is 3.9.9.0.1 or lower
  2. Identify all posts/pages using File Away shortcodes
    Search your WordPress database or use a plugin to search for shortcode usage patterns such as [fileaway], [folderaway], or other shortcodes beginning with 'fileaway' or 'away' in your post and page content
    Affected if Any posts or pages contain File Away shortcodes, which could be carrying malicious attributes
  3. Inspect shortcode attributes in published content
    View the source code or edit existing posts/pages that use File Away shortcodes; examine the shortcode syntax for any unusual or encoded attribute values
    Affected if Shortcodes contain unsanitized attribute values (especially user-supplied parameters that were not properly escaped)
  4. Audit user accounts with contributor-level access
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Users > All Users and identify any accounts assigned the 'Contributor' role
    Affected if There are contributor-level users who could potentially inject malicious shortcode attributes into content

Your environment is affected if the File Away plugin version is 3.9.9.0.1 or lower AND any content uses the plugin's shortcodes, especially if contributor-level users exist who could have added or could add malicious attributes.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.9.9.0.1
Interim mitigation

Update the File Away plugin to a patched version that implements proper input validation and output escaping on all shortcode attributes. Until patched, restrict contributor-level access and audit existing content using the plugin's shortcodes.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available version (check WordPress plugin repository for 3.9.9.0.2 or higher)

  1. Check for available updates in WordPress admin under Dashboard > Updates or in Plugins > File Away
  2. If a newer version is available, click 'Update Now' to install the latest version
  3. If no update is available, consider temporarily disabling the File Away plugin until a patch is released
  4. Review user roles on the site and ensure untrusted users do not have contributor or higher roles
  5. Verify the fix by checking that shortcode attributes are properly sanitized after update

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in File Away Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-0431 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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