dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2024-7514

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 WordPress Comments Import & Export plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to to arbitrary file read due to insufficient file path validation during the comments import process, in versions up to, and including, 2.3.7. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Author-level access and above, to read the contents of arbitrary files on the server, which can contain sensitive information. The issue was partially fixed in version 2.3.8 and fully fixed in 2.3.9

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 WordPress Comments Import & Export plugin versions up to 2.3.7 lack proper file path validation during the comments import function, allowing authenticated users with Author-level permissions or higher to supply arbitrary file paths and read sensitive server-side files.

MitigationUpdate the plugin to version 2.3.9 or later. Restrict user permissions to the minimum required and consider implementing server-side file access controls 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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Locate the plugin directory
    Check your WordPress installation's wp-content/plugins/ folder for a directory named 'comments-import-export' or similar variations of the plugin name.
    Affected if The plugin folder exists on the server.
  2. Identify the installed version
    Open the main plugin PHP file (usually comments-import-export.php or similar in the plugin folder) and locate the version comment or Version: header in the file header.
    Affected if The reported version is 2.3.7 or lower.
  3. Verify the plugin is active
    In the WordPress admin dashboard, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and confirm the Comments Import & Export plugin shows as 'Active'.
    Affected if The plugin is active and the version is vulnerable.
  4. Confirm user access exists
    Check if any user accounts on the site have the Author role or higher, as this role level is required to access the vulnerable import function.
    Affected if Authenticated users with Author-level permissions exist and the plugin is installed.
  5. Verify the import functionality is accessible
    Attempt to access the comments import page via the WordPress admin (usually under Comments or a dedicated import menu item) while logged in as an Author-level user.
    Affected if The import feature is accessible to authenticated users.

Your site is affected if the Comments Import & Export plugin is installed, active, and running version 2.3.7 or lower with users having Author-level or higher permissions.

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 the plugin to version 2.3.9 or later. Restrict user permissions to the minimum required and consider implementing server-side file access controls as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.3.9

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. Find the 'Comments Import & Export' plugin
  4. If the plugin shows a new version available, click 'Update Now' to upgrade to version 2.3.9
  5. If no update is shown, manually upload version 2.3.9 of the plugin via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  6. After updating, verify the plugin version is 2.3.9 in the plugins list

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2024-7514 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