Unrestricted File UploadWeakness · CWE-434

CVE-2024-52399

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-16
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 Clarisse K. Writer Helper writer-helper allows Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server.This issue affects Writer Helper: from n/a through <= 3.1.6.

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 Writer Helper application (versions up to 3.1.6) contains an unrestricted file upload vulnerability allowing attackers to upload dangerous file types, specifically web shells, directly to the web server. This critical flaw enables remote code execution by bypassing file type restrictions and storing executable files in web-accessible locations.

MitigationImplement strict allowlist-based file type validation, restrict uploaded files to non-executable extensions, store uploads outside the web root or in directories with script execution disabled, and apply proper authentication/authorization checks on all upload endpoints.

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. Identify the installed Writer Helper version
    Locate the application version information in the product documentation, about page, or application metadata files (such as version.json, package.json, or similar config files in the installation directory)
    Affected if The installed version is 3.1.6 or any earlier version
  2. Locate the file upload functionality
    Review the application URL endpoints and navigation to find any feature that accepts file uploads (typically forms with input type='file' or API endpoints accepting multipart/form-data)
    Affected if The application has an active file upload feature accessible to users
  3. Determine where uploaded files are stored
    Inspect the application configuration files or server logs to identify the storage path for uploaded files. Check if this path is within the web server's document root or web-accessible directory
    Affected if Uploaded files are stored in directories accessible via HTTP/HTTPS (web root or subdirectories served by the web server)
  4. Verify file type validation is enforced
    Examine the application's upload handling code or configuration settings to determine if there is file type validation and whether it uses an allowlist approach or relies solely on file extension checking
    Affected if The application lacks strict allowlist-based file type validation or allows executable extensions (.php, .asp, .jsp, .js, .exe, .sh, etc.)

A user is affected if they run Writer Helper version 3.1.6 or earlier, have the upload feature enabled, store uploads in web-accessible locations, and lack strict allowlist-based file type validation.

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

Implement strict allowlist-based file type validation, restrict uploaded files to non-executable extensions, store uploads outside the web root or in directories with script execution disabled, and apply proper authentication/authorization checks on all upload endpoints.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $6,960
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-52399 — 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-2024-52399 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