CVE intelligence and bounded remediation
CVE-2023-5816 — The Code Explorer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary external file reading in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.5
The Code Explorer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary external file reading in all versions up to, and including, 1.4.5. This is due to the fact that the plugin does not restrict accessing files to those outside of the WordPress instance, though the intention of the plugin is to only access WordPress related files. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level access, to read files outside of the WordPress instance.
- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.9 (3.1)
- Published
- 2024-10-30
- CISA KEV
- Not currently listed
- Ecosystem
- php/wordpress
- Weaknesses
- CWE-73
Affected products
- bowo / code_explorer
Matched remediation archetype
Path traversal, unsafe upload, and file handling
This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.
Check exposure
- Trace untrusted filenames, archive entries, URLs, and path segments into read, write, include, extraction, and upload operations.
- Identify filesystem roots, mount permissions, symbolic-link behavior, archive handling, and whether uploaded content is web-accessible or executable.
- Review canonicalization and containment checks across supported operating systems and storage backends.
Remediate safely
- Generate server-side storage identifiers and resolve paths beneath a fixed root using filesystem-aware containment checks.
- Reject absolute, parent-relative, alternate-separator, device, link, and archive entries that escape the intended root.
- Store uploads outside executable or served paths, validate type and size, and use private atomic temporary files.
Authoritative sources
Complete CVE record and remediation plan
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