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PHP File Inclusion (RFI/LFI)Weakness · CWE-98

CVE-2024-12040

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
The Product Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 1.9.10 via the 'theme' attribute of the `wcpcsu` shortcode. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where images and other “safe” file types can be uploaded and included.

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 Product Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress contains a Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability in all versions up to 1.9.10. The flaw exists in the `wcpcsu` shortcode's 'theme' attribute, which allows authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher to specify arbitrary file paths that PHP will include and execute. This enables remote code execution by including malicious PHP files or leveraging uploaded 'safe' file types containing PHP code.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 1.9.11 or later which contains the security patch. Until patched, restrict or monitor contributor-level users and consider disabling the wcpcsu shortcode if not actively used.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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. Confirm plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins and look for 'Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate for WooCommerce' in the installed plugins list
    Affected if The plugin is installed and active
  2. Check installed version
    In WordPress admin > Plugins, find the plugin and compare the version number to the affected range (versions up to and including 1.9.10)
    Affected if Installed version is 1.9.10 or lower
  3. Identify vulnerable shortcode
    Search your WordPress content (posts, pages, widgets) for the shortcode [wcpcsu] - check the database via wp_posts table or use a plugin scanner
    Affected if The [wcpcsu] shortcode is present in any published content
  4. Inspect shortcode theme attribute
    Examine any [wcpcsu] shortcode instances for a 'theme' attribute (e.g., [wcpcsu theme="..."]) - this parameter accepts file paths without sanitization
    Affected if The shortcode uses a 'theme' attribute with a filepath value
  5. Verify user roles with contributor access
    Check WordPress Users admin panel for accounts with Contributor role or higher, as these roles can use the vulnerable shortcode
    Affected if Any untrusted or external user accounts have Contributor-level access or above

A user is affected if the plugin is installed with version 1.9.10 or lower AND the [wcpcsu] shortcode with a 'theme' attribute is in use, particularly when untrusted Contributor-level users exist on the site.

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

Update the plugin to version 1.9.11 or later which contains the security patch. Until patched, restrict or monitor contributor-level users and consider disabling the wcpcsu shortcode if not actively used.

Recommended fix High confidence

Version 1.9.11 or later of Product Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate for WooCommerce

  1. 1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard with Administrator privileges
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate 'Product Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate for WooCommerce' in the plugin list
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now' to update to the latest version (1.9.11 or higher)
  5. 5. Alternatively, download the updated plugin from the WordPress Plugin Repository and upload it via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. 6. After updating, verify the plugin is running version 1.9.11 or later
  7. 7. Confirm the vulnerability is patched by testing that the wcpcsu shortcode theme parameter no longer accepts arbitrary file paths

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,620
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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-2024-12040 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