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PHP File Inclusion (RFI/LFI)Weakness · CWE-98

CVE-2024-5345

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-31
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
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
The Responsive Owl Carousel for Elementor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in all versions up to, and including, 1.2.0 via the layout parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to include and execute arbitrary files on the server, allowing the execution of any PHP code in those files. This can be used to bypass access controls, obtain sensitive data, or achieve code execution in cases where images and other “safe” file types can be uploaded and included. The inclusion is limited to PHP files.

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 Responsive Owl Carousel for Elementor WordPress plugin up to version 1.2.0 contains a Local File Inclusion vulnerability via the 'layout' parameter. Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher can include and execute arbitrary PHP files on the server, enabling remote code execution.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to a version beyond 1.2.0 immediately. If no patched version is available, disable the plugin entirely. Review server configuration to restrict PHP file inclusion and audit for similar vulnerabilities in other plugin components.

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 plugin installation and version
    Navigate to your WordPress installation wp-content/plugins/ directory and look for a folder named 'responsive-owl-carousel-elementor' or similar. Open the main plugin PHP file and check the plugin header for the 'Version' field, or check the readme.txt file.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and the version is 1.2.0 or lower
  2. Locate the vulnerable endpoint handling the layout parameter
    Inspect the plugin PHP files, searching for code that uses $_GET['layout'] or $_POST['layout'] in include(), require(), or similar file inclusion functions. Common locations include widget files or frontend render files.
    Affected if The plugin contains code that directly uses the 'layout' parameter in file inclusion operations without sanitization
  3. Verify if authenticated access is possible for lower-privileged users
    In the WordPress admin dashboard, go to Users > All Users and review the existing user roles. Check if any users have the Contributor role or if any role below Administrator exists.
    Affected if There are users with Contributor, Author, Editor, or other roles that can access the vulnerable functionality
  4. Test for LFI vulnerability via the layout parameter
    If you have a test environment, send a request to a page using the plugin with a layout parameter pointing to a local file (such as ../../../../../../etc/passwd). On a live site, examine server access logs for suspicious requests with 'layout=' containing '../' patterns.
    Affected if The layout parameter accepts path traversal sequences and returns file contents, or suspicious requests appear in logs
  5. Review server configuration for PHP file inclusion risks
    Check your PHP configuration (php.ini) for allow_url_include=On and ensure that disable_functions does not restrict critical file operations if applicable. Review .htaccess or nginx config for any rules that might mitigate or exacerbate LFI risks.
    Affected if PHP is configured to allow file inclusion from user-controlled paths

Your environment is affected if the Responsive Owl Carousel for Elementor plugin version 1.2.0 or lower is installed and the vulnerable code handling the 'layout' parameter is present, especially when lower-privileged authenticated users exist in WordPress.

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 a version beyond 1.2.0 immediately. If no patched version is available, disable the plugin entirely. Review server configuration to restrict PHP file inclusion and audit for similar vulnerabilities in other plugin components.

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-2024-5345 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
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