dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2024-27954

CRITICAL · 9.3 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 →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS 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 WP Automatic Automatic allows Path Traversal, Server Side Request Forgery.This issue affects Automatic: from n/a through 3.92.0.

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 confidence

A path traversal vulnerability in WP Automatic plugin versions up to 3.92.0 allows attackers to access files outside restricted directories via improper pathname validation. Combined with SSRF capability, attackers can also make the server make arbitrary HTTP requests to internal or external resources.

MitigationUpdate WP Automatic to the latest patched version immediately. If immediate updating is not feasible, implement a WAF rule to block path traversal patterns and restrict outbound network access from the server.

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/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 WP Automatic plugin is installed
    Check the plugins directory: look for 'wp-automatic' folder in wp-content/plugins/, or run: wp plugin list --name='wp-automatic' if wp-cli is available
    Affected if WP Automatic plugin is present in the WordPress installation
  2. Determine installed plugin version
    Read the main plugin file header (wp-content/plugins/wp-automatic/plugin.php) to find the 'Version' comment, or check via WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins
    Affected if Version is 3.92.0 or lower (any version up to and including 3.92.0 is affected)
  3. Identify vulnerable file processing feature
    Examine plugin files for functions handling file paths or remote requests; look for admin action handlers that accept file parameters, particularly in plugin.php or includes/ folder
    Affected if Plugin has file import, upload, or fetch-from-URL functionality enabled and accessible to users
  4. Check access to vulnerable endpoints
    Review WordPress user roles that can access WP Automatic admin pages; the vulnerability typically requires authenticated access
    Affected if Any user role (including subscriber/contributor) can access plugin admin functions without proper capability checks
  5. Review server access logs for path traversal patterns
    Search web server logs (Apache/nginx error and access logs) for requests containing '../' or '..\' patterns targeting wp-automatic endpoints, or logs showing unexpected outbound HTTP requests
    Affected if Logs contain path traversal attempts (e.g., ../../wp-config.php) or suspicious outbound requests originating from the server

You are affected if WP Automatic plugin version 3.92.0 or lower is installed and the plugin's file/path-handling features are accessible to users on your 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 WP Automatic to the latest patched version immediately. If immediate updating is not feasible, implement a WAF rule to block path traversal patterns and restrict outbound network access from the server.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version of WP Automatic (greater than 3.92.0)

  1. 1. Log into your WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate WP Automatic in the plugin list
  4. 4. If an update is available, click 'Update Now'
  5. 5. Alternatively, download the latest version from the WordPress plugin repository or the vendor directly
  6. 6. After updating, verify the plugin version is greater than 3.92.0
  7. 7. Test that the plugin functionality continues to work as expected

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,300
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,680.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-27954 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-27954 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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