Vulnerabilities

The File Manager plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to authorization bypass due to a missing capability check in the /inc/root.php file in versions up to, and including, 3.0. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to download arbitrary files from the server and upload arbitrary files that can be used for remote code execution.

The File Manager Pro plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file uploads due to missing file type validation and capability checks in the mk_file_folder_manager AJAX action in all versions up to, and including, 8.3.7. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Subscriber-level access and above, to upload arbitrary files on the affected site's server which may make remote code execution possible.

The File Manager plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in all versions up to, and including, 7.2.5 via the fm_download_backup function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator access and above, to read the contents of arbitrary zip files on the server, which can contain sensitive information.

The File Manager plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 7.2.4. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on the wp_file_manager page that includes files through the 'lang' parameter. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to include local JavaScript files that can be leveraged to achieve RCE via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link. This issue was partially patched in version 7.2.4, and fully patched in 7.2.5.

The File Manager Pro plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via the 'tb' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 8.3.4 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that execute if they can successfully trick a user into performing an action such as clicking on a link.

The File Manager Pro plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Upload in all versions up to, and including, 8.3.4 via the mk_check_filemanager_php_syntax AJAX function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with subscriber access and above, to execute code on the server. Version 8.3.5 introduces a capability check that prevents users lower than admin from executing this function.

In the default configuration of the File Manager WordPress plugin before 7.1, a Reflected XSS can occur on the endpoint /wp-admin/admin.php?page=wp_file_manager_properties when a payload is submitted on the User-Agent parameter. The payload is then reflected back on the web application response.

The File Manager (wp-file-manager) WordPress plugin before version 6.9 ships an example elFinder connector file that the plugin renames to have a .php extension, exposing it directly to unauthenticated web requests. An attacker can invoke the elFinder upload (or mkfile and put) commands on that connector to write arbitrary PHP code into the wp-content/plugins/wp-file-manager/lib/files/ directory, which the web server then executes. Successful exploitation yields full unauthenticated remote code execution on the hosting server, compromising the WordPress site and potentially the broader host. Any WordPress site running an affected version of the File Manager plugin is exposed, and the flaw was heavily exploited in the wild in August and September 2020, including mass backdooring campaigns (WP-SHELLSTORM) and chaining with other vulnerabilities such as Zerologon. It carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8, sits in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and has a 97.3% EPSS probability of exploitation.

Do: Update the File Manager (wp-file-manager) plugin to version 6.9 or later immediately, per vendor and CISA instructions. If updating is not immediately possible, deactivate the plugin or remove/restrict the exposed example elFinder connector file, and check wp-content/plugins/wp-file-manager/lib/files/ for unexpected PHP files (e.g., webshells) plus unfamiliar admin users, since exploitation was widespread in August–September 2020.

mndpsingh287 WP File Manager v6.4 and lower fails to restrict external access to the fm_backups directory with a .htaccess file. This results in the ability for unauthenticated users to browse and download any site backups, which sometimes include full database backups, that the plugin has taken.

There is a CSRF vulnerability in the mndpsingh287 File Manager plugin 3.0 for WordPress via the page=wp_file_manager_root public_path parameter.

The mndpsingh287 File Manager plugin V2.9 for WordPress has XSS via the lang parameter in a wp-admin/admin.php?page=wp_file_manager request because set_transient is used in file_folder_manager.php and there is an echo of lang in lib\wpfilemanager.php.