Unrestricted File UploadWeakness · CWE-434

CVE-2024-37420

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-09
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
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
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type vulnerability in WPZita Zita Elementor Site Library allows Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server.This issue affects Zita Elementor Site Library: from n/a through 1.6.1.

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

The WPZita Zita Elementor Site Library plugin contains an unrestricted file upload vulnerability that allows authenticated or unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary PHP files (web shells) to the web server. Since no proper validation restricts file types during the upload process, malicious actors can execute remote code and potentially gain full control of the affected WordPress site.

MitigationImmediately update the Zita Elementor Site Library plugin to the latest version once available, or disable the plugin if no patch exists. Implement server-side file type validation (checking MIME type and file extension) and disable PHP execution in upload directories as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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. Verify Zita Elementor Site Library plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'Zita Elementor Site Library' or check the /wp-content/plugins/ directory for the plugin folder
    Affected if The plugin is present and active on the WordPress site
  2. Identify installed plugin version
    Check the plugin main file (usually zita-elementor-site-library.php) inside the plugin folder for the Version header, or view the plugin details in WordPress admin Plugins page
    Affected if The version number cannot be determined or is older than the latest patched version
  3. Inspect upload directories for unexpected files
    Examine /wp-content/uploads/ and subdirectories for .php files that should not be there, using file system search or FTP/ssh: find /wp-content/uploads/ -name "*.php"
    Affected if Any PHP files exist in upload directories that were not intentionally placed there
  4. Check if PHP execution is disabled in upload directories
    Review .htaccess (Apache) or nginx config for upload directories; look for 'php_flag engine off' or 'deny all' directives on PHP files in /wp-content/uploads/
    Affected if PHP execution is allowed in upload directories (no restrictions configured)
  5. Review access logs for suspicious upload requests
    Check web server access logs (Apache error/access.log, Nginx access.log) for POST requests to upload endpoints containing the plugin path, looking for .php file extensions in the request
    Affected if Unusual upload activity is present in logs, especially requests uploading .php files

If the Zita Elementor Site Library plugin is installed and running without known patches, and especially if PHP execution is allowed in upload directories, the site is potentially affected by this unrestricted file upload vulnerability.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Immediately update the Zita Elementor Site Library plugin to the latest version once available, or disable the plugin if no patch exists. Implement server-side file type validation (checking MIME type and file extension) and disable PHP execution in upload directories as a defense-in-depth measure.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,820
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-37420 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-37420 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
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