CVE-2024-12571
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 · uneditedThe Store Locator for WordPress with Google Maps – LotsOfLocales plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in version 3.98.9 via the 'sl_engine' parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers 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 confidenceThe Store Locator for WordPress with Google Maps – LotsOfLocales plugin version 3.98.9 is vulnerable to unauthenticated Local File Inclusion (LFI) through the 'sl_engine' parameter. Attackers can include and execute arbitrary PHP files on the server, achieving remote code execution without authentication.
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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm the LotsOfLocales plugin is installedLog into the WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for 'Store Locator for WordPress with Google Maps - LotsOfLocales' in the list.Affected if The plugin appears in the installed plugins list
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Identify the installed plugin versionIn the WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate the LotsOfLocales plugin. The version number is displayed below the plugin name.Affected if The installed version is 3.98.9
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Verify the sl_engine parameter is accessibleSend a GET request to a page with the store locator functionality, including a test value for the sl_engine parameter such as 'sl_engine=test'. Check if the parameter is processed without authentication.Affected if The sl_engine parameter is accepted and processed without requiring authentication
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Review access logs for LFI indicatorsExamine web server access logs (typically in /var/log/apache2/ or /var/log/nginx/) for requests containing '../' path traversal sequences in the sl_engine parameter, such as 'sl_engine=../../../../etc/passwd'.Affected if Suspicious requests with path traversal in sl_engine are found in the logs
A user is affected if the LotsOfLocales plugin version 3.98.9 is installed and the sl_engine parameter is accessible without authentication, allowing potential path traversal attacks.
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 dataImmediate action required: disable the plugin or apply any available security update. The 'sl_engine' parameter must be properly validated/sanitized to prevent path traversal and arbitrary file inclusion. Consider WAF rules as a temporary mitigation while patching.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation5.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-12571 — 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-2024-12571 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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- 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