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Unrestricted File UploadWeakness · CWE-434

CVE-2024-48035

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-16
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 takayukii ACF Images Search And Insert acf-images-search-and-insert allows Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server.This issue affects ACF Images Search And Insert: from n/a through <= 1.1.4.

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

The ACF Images Search And Insert WordPress plugin has an unrestricted file upload vulnerability allowing attackers to upload arbitrary files including web shells. This enables complete remote code execution on the affected WordPress server. The vulnerability exists in versions up to and including 1.1.4 due to insufficient validation of uploaded file types.

MitigationUpdate to a patched version of the plugin immediately. If no patched version is available, disable the plugin and remove any suspicious files from upload directories. Audit the server for existing web shells or compromise indicators.

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. Confirm the plugin is installed
    In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'ACF Images Search And Insert' or check the wp-content/plugins directory for a folder containing 'acf-images' in the name
    Affected if The plugin is present on the WordPress site
  2. Identify the installed plugin version
    In WordPress admin, click on the plugin to view its details and note the version number. Alternatively, check the main plugin file header in wp-content/plugins/[plugin-folder]/acf-images-search-and-insert.php for the 'Version' tag
    Affected if The version matches or falls within a known vulnerable range for this CVE
  3. Verify upload directories for suspicious files
    Check the wp-content/uploads directory and any subdirectories for unfamiliar PHP files, especially those with random alphanumeric names, shell scripts, or files named similarly to images but containing PHP code
    Affected if Unexpected PHP files are found in upload directories
  4. Review access logs for upload endpoint activity
    Examine web server access logs (Apache error/access logs, Nginx access logs) for POST requests to the plugin's upload handler, typically found in paths like /wp-content/plugins/acf-images-search-and-insert/ or containing 'upload' in the request URI
    Affected if Multiple or suspicious POST requests to upload endpoints are present in the logs
  5. Check for recently created executable files
    Use file system commands (ls -lt or Get-ChildItem -Recurse) to list files modified within a recent timeframe in the wp-content/uploads folder, focusing on files with .php, .phtml, or .exe extensions
    Affected if Recently created PHP or executable files exist in upload directories

A site is affected if the ACF Images Search And Insert plugin is installed and the installed version is within the vulnerable range for CVE-2024-48035.

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 to a patched version of the plugin immediately. If no patched version is available, disable the plugin and remove any suspicious files from upload directories. Audit the server for existing web shells or compromise indicators.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Plugin version > 1.1.4 (vendor has not published fixed version at time of advisory)

  1. 1. Immediately disable the ACF Images Search And Insert plugin to prevent further exploitation
  2. 2. Check if the plugin vendor has released a security update on wordpress.org or their official repository
  3. 3. If a patched version (higher than 1.1.4) is available, update to that version immediately
  4. 4. Audit the wp-content/uploads/ directory for any suspicious PHP files or recently uploaded files with extensions like .php, .phtml, .php5, .php7
  5. 5. Review user accounts and server logs for signs of compromise
  6. 6. Consider removing the plugin entirely if no patch is available and replace with a secure alternative

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

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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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-2024-48035 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