CVE-2023-39163
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 · uneditedImproper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Averta Phlox Shop allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Phlox Shop: from n/a through 2.0.0.
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 confidencePath traversal vulnerability in Averta Phlox Shop allows attackers to manipulate file path inputs using '../' sequences to access files outside intended directories, leading to PHP local file inclusion that could enable remote code execution.
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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Averta Phlox Shop is installedSearch for Phlox Shop related directories or files on the web server. Common paths include /wp-content/plugins/phlox-shop/ or similar WordPress plugin directories if this is a WordPress theme/plugin. Check for files containing 'phlox' and 'shop' in the web root.Affected if The product Averta Phlox Shop is found on the system
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Determine the installed versionCheck version files or readme/changelog files in the Phlox Shop directory. Look for version.php, readme.txt, or similar metadata files within the plugin/theme folder.Affected if The installed version cannot be determined or falls within any affected version range (if known)
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Locate file inclusion functionalitySearch for PHP files that contain include, require, include_once, or require_once statements with variable inputs. Look for patterns like 'include($file)', 'require($_GET[...]', or similar dynamic file inclusion in the Phlox Shop source code.Affected if Dynamic file inclusion functions accepting user input are present in the codebase
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Check for path traversal vulnerability in file include codeInspect the file inclusion code identified in step 3. Look for whether user-supplied parameters (GET/POST) are used directly in file paths without sanitization. Search for '../' or '..\' character sequences being validated or stripped.Affected if File inclusion code accepts user input without filtering '../' sequences
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Verify the vulnerable endpoint is accessibleTest if the file inclusion functionality is accessible via HTTP requests. Attempt to access the suspected endpoint with a benign path traversal attempt (e.g., ?file=../../../../etc/passwd or similar, only in authorized testing environments) to confirm the vulnerability exists.Affected if The endpoint responds to path traversal attempts without proper validation
If Averta Phlox Shop is installed and contains file inclusion code that accepts user input without filtering '../' sequences, the environment is affected by this CVE.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataImplement strict input validation that rejects paths containing '../' sequences and whitelist-validates all file include requests to restrict access to only intended directories.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39163 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-39163 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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