dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2024-44018

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 istmoplugins Instant Chat Floating Button for WordPress Websites instant-chat-wp allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Instant Chat Floating Button for WordPress Websites: from n/a through <= 1.0.5.

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 the istmoplugins Instant Chat Floating Button WordPress plugin (versions up to 1.0.5) allows attackers to perform PHP Local File Inclusion by manipulating pathname parameters to access files outside the intended restricted directory. This could enable reading sensitive files such as wp-config.php or potentially achieve remote code execution under certain conditions.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to the latest patched version immediately. If no patched version is available, disable the plugin and implement WAF rules to block path traversal patterns (../, ..\). Review server file permissions to limit the impact of any successful exploitation.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/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 the plugin is installed
    Check the WordPress plugins directory (wp-content/plugins/) for a folder named 'instant-chat-floating-button', 'istmoplugins-instant-chat', or similar istmoplugins-related directory. Use command: ls wp-content/plugins/ | grep -i chat
    Affected if The plugin directory exists in the WordPress installation
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    Open the plugin's main PHP file (usually named like instant-chat-floating-button.php) and look for the 'Version' header in the plugin comment block. Alternatively, check readme.txt for the 'Stable tag' entry.
    Affected if The version listed is 1.0.5 or any version lower (e.g., 1.0.4, 1.0.3, 1.0.2, 1.0.1, 1.0.0)
  3. Determine if the vulnerable path traversal parameter is exposed
    Identify any frontend-facing PHP files in the plugin that handle pathname or path parameters. Search plugin PHP files for terms like 'include', 'require', 'file_get_contents' that accept user input without sanitization. Common vulnerable patterns: $_GET['path'], $_GET['file'], $_REQUEST['pathname'].
    Affected if The plugin contains PHP files that process file path parameters from user input without proper validation (checking for '../' or '..\' sequences)
  4. Check web server access logs for path traversal attempts
    Review web server access logs (Apache: /var/log/apache2/access.log, Nginx: /var/log/nginx/access.log) for requests to the plugin endpoint containing traversal patterns. Search for: grep -r "../" /var/log/ and grep -r "..\\" /var/log/ targeting the plugin's PHP files.
    Affected if Log entries show GET/POST requests to plugin files containing '../' or '..\' patterns, especially targeting wp-config.php or other sensitive files
  5. Verify file system permissions on sensitive files
    Check if WordPress configuration files (wp-config.php) and other sensitive files in the web root have appropriate permissions. Use: ls -la wp-config.php
    Affected if wp-config.php is world-readable (permissions 644 or more permissive) and the plugin is vulnerable and exposed

A user is affected if the istmoplugins Instant Chat Floating Button plugin is installed with version 1.0.5 or lower AND the plugin exposes file path parameters that can be manipulated for path traversal.

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

Update the plugin to the latest patched version immediately. If no patched version is available, disable the plugin and implement WAF rules to block path traversal patterns (../, ..\). Review server file permissions to limit the impact of any successful exploitation.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2024-44018 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