WordPress Aspose Words Exporter Local File Inclusion Scanner

The WordPress Aspose Words Exporter is a plugin that allows users to export WordPress posts or pages into Microsoft Word documents. It is mainly used by content creators, website administrators, and bloggers who wish to easily generate Word documents from their online content for editing or sharing. The software is widely adopted due to its integration capabilities with Microsoft Word, enabling streamlined content management. This plugin is utilized across various industries to improve content production workflows and document management. It is especially beneficial for educational institutions, corporate settings, and news agencies. Its flexibility in exporting documents makes it a popular choice for many WordPress users.

Local File Inclusion (LFI) is a security vulnerability that allows an attacker to include files on a server through the web browser. This occurs when a web application includes a file without properly sanitizing the input, which could allow an attacker to inject malicious input into the file path. If exploited, this could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive files and data on the web server. LFI is often leveraged along with other vulnerabilities to execute remote code on the server. This type of vulnerability is significant as it can facilitate further attacks, potentially leading to a complete server compromise. Detecting and remediating LFI vulnerabilities is crucial to safeguarding server integrity and data confidentiality.

The vulnerability in the WordPress Aspose Words Exporter plugin arises from the lack of proper input validation in the file download path. Specifically, the `aspose_doc_exporter_download.php` script allows for directory traversal through manipulated file path inputs. Attackers can potentially exploit this by appending file paths such as `../../../wp-config.php` to access critical configuration files. This vulnerability requires no authentication, making it an attractive target for attackers scanning for weak endpoints. The plugin fails to adequately restrict file access, thus exposing sensitive information stored within the WordPress installation. This lack of protection constitutes a serious security risk, particularly due to the ease with which it can be exploited.

If this Local File Inclusion vulnerability is exploited, attackers could gain access to sensitive configuration files such as `wp-config.php`, which contains database credentials. Such access could lead to unauthorized database manipulations, data exfiltration, or even complete takeover of the WordPress site. Beyond data theft, an attacker might escalate their privileges and attempt further exploitation to execute code on the server. The vulnerability also raises the risk of an attacker using the compromised files to inject further attacks like remote code execution (RCE). Ultimately, the exploitation of this vulnerability could result in significant data breaches, loss of user trust, and reputational damage to the affected website.

REFERENCES

• https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/7869
• https://wordpress.org/plugins/aspose-doc-exporter