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Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2023-32297

CRITICAL · 9.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
99/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in LWS LWS Affiliation allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects LWS Affiliation: from n/a through 2.2.6.

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

A path traversal vulnerability in the LWS Affiliation WordPress plugin (versions up to 2.2.6) allows attackers to manipulate file path inputs to access restricted directories and perform local file inclusion (LFI) attacks, potentially exposing sensitive system files or enabling code execution.

MitigationUpgrade LWS Affiliation to the latest version which contains proper input sanitization and path validation to prevent directory traversal. If patching is not immediately possible, restrict file access permissions and disable PHP include/require functions for user-controlled paths.

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

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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 LWS Affiliation plugin is installed
    Check your WordPress plugins directory (wp-content/plugins/) for a folder named 'lws-affiliation' or 'lws-affiliation-wp'. You can also list installed plugins via WP CLI: wp plugin list --status=active --format=csv
    Affected if The plugin folder exists in the WordPress installation
  2. Check installed plugin version
    Open the main plugin file (usually lws-affiliation.php) and look for the version comment header (e.g., 'Version: x.x.x'). Alternatively, use WP CLI: wp plugin get lws-affiliation --field=version
    Affected if Version is 2.2.6 or lower (the vulnerability affects versions up to 2.2.6)
  3. Identify file input functionality
    Examine the plugin files for code handling file path inputs, particularly functions that accept file paths for include, require, or file display operations. Look for parameters like 'file', 'path', 'filename', or 'template' in form submissions.
    Affected if The plugin contains file path input handling that lacks proper sanitization
  4. Verify file inclusion feature is accessible
    Check if the vulnerable endpoint/function is publicly accessible or accessible to authenticated users. Review the plugin's access controls and which user roles can trigger the file path functionality.
    Affected if The file path input feature is enabled and accessible without proper path validation
  5. Inspect for directory traversal indicators
    Review server access logs (Apache/nginx) for suspicious patterns containing '../' or multiple slashes in requests to the plugin endpoints, which may indicate exploitation attempts.
    Affected if Logs show traversal patterns targeting the LWS Affiliation plugin endpoints

You are affected if the LWS Affiliation plugin is installed with version 2.2.6 or lower and the file path input feature is accessible without proper path validation controls.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade LWS Affiliation to the latest version which contains proper input sanitization and path validation to prevent directory traversal. If patching is not immediately possible, restrict file access permissions and disable PHP include/require functions for user-controlled paths.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

LWS Affiliation version 2.2.7 or later

  1. 1. Update LWS Affiliation plugin to version 2.2.7 or later
  2. 2. Verify the update was successful by checking the plugin version in WordPress admin
  3. 3. If automatic updates are not enabled, enable them or manually check for updates regularly

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2023-32297 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
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