dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2024-32111

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-06-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
56/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Automattic WordPress allows Relative Path Traversal.This issue affects WordPress: from 6.5 through 6.5.4, from 6.4 through 6.4.4, from 6.3 through 6.3.4, from 6.2 through 6.2.5, from 6.1 through 6.1.6, from 6.0 through 6.0.8, from 5.9 through 5.9.9, from 5.8 through 5.8.9, from 5.7 through 5.7.11, from 5.6 through 5.6.13, from 5.5 through 5.5.14, from 5.4 through 5.4.15, from 5.3 through 5.3.17, from 5.2 through 5.2.20, from 5.1 through 5.1.18, from 5.0 through 5.0.21, from 4.9 through 4.9.25, from 4.8 through 4.8.24, from 4.7 through 4.7.28, from 4.6 through 4.6.28, from 4.5 through 4.5.31, from 4.4 through 4.4.32, from 4.3 through 4.3.33, from 4.2 through 4.2.37, from 4.1 through 4.1.40.

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

WordPress core contains a relative path traversal vulnerability (CVE-2024-32111) affecting versions 4.1 through 6.5.4. This improper limitation of pathname allows attackers to access files outside the restricted directory through relative path manipulation. The medium severity (CVSS 5) suggests exploitation may require authenticated access or specific conditions.

MitigationUpdate WordPress to the latest patched version immediately. Before updating, create a full backup and test the update in a staging environment to ensure theme and plugin compatibility.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check WordPress core version
    Log into the WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Dashboard > Updates, or check the version in the wp-includes/version.php file. Alternatively, access your site via FTP/SFTP and read the 'wp-includes/version.php' file to find the $wp_version variable.
    Affected if The installed version is between 4.1 and 6.5.4 inclusive.
  2. Verify authentication requirements
    Determine if your WordPress site allows user registration or has any authenticated user accounts. Check Settings > General > Membership to see if 'Anyone can register' is enabled, or review your user database for non-administrator accounts.
    Affected if The site has enabled user registration or contains user accounts beyond the administrator, as the CVSS 5 indicates authenticated access may be required for exploitation.
  3. Identify exposed file handling features
    Review your WordPress installation for plugins or themes that handle file uploads, imports, or serve user-supplied file paths. Check for functionality that may accept relative paths, such as theme customizers, media library importers, or backup plugins.
    Affected if File handling features that accept pathname arguments are active and accessible to authenticated users.
  4. Inspect server configuration for path restrictions
    Check your web server (Apache/Nginx) configuration and .htaccess file for restrictions on directory access. Look for directives that limit file access to specific directories.
    Affected if The server lacks proper restrictions on relative path traversal, allowing '..' sequences to access directories outside the WordPress root.

You are affected if your WordPress core version falls between 4.1 and 6.5.4 and your site has authenticated user access or file handling features that could accept relative path inputs.

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 WordPress to the latest patched version immediately. Before updating, create a full backup and test the update in a staging environment to ensure theme and plugin compatibility.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest stable WordPress release (currently 6.7.x or later)

  1. 1. Back up your WordPress database and files.
  2. 2. Download the latest stable WordPress release from wordpress.org or use your hosting control panel's update feature.
  3. 3. Update WordPress via Dashboard > Updates > Update Now, or replace core files manually.
  4. 4. Verify the update was successful by checking the WordPress version at Dashboard > At a Glance.
  5. 5. Test critical functionality (admin access, front-end rendering, file uploads) to confirm the update did not break the site.
Caveat Minor: Ensure custom code and plugins are compatible with the new WordPress version before updating production sites

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,080
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-32111 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