Directory traversal vulnerability in the wp_ajax_update_plugin function in wp-admin/includes/ajax-actions.php in WordPress 4.5.3 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service or read certain text files via a .. (dot dot) in the plugin parameter to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php, as demonstrated by /dev/random read operations that deplete the entropy pool.
CVSS v4.0 Metrics
Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
ComplexityLow
RequirementsPresent
PrivilegesLow
User InteractionNone
Threat
Exploit MaturityPoC
Vulnerable System
ConfidentialityLow
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
Subsequent System
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone
Supplemental
SafetyNegligible
AutomatableYes
RecoveryAutomatic
Value DensityConcentrated
UrgencyMedium
Change Log
| Date | Source | Changes | Score |
|---|
| 2026-07-21 | exploitdb | E: U→P | 2.3 → 5.5 |
| 2026-07-21 | nvd | AV: P→N, AC: H→L, PR: H→L, UI: A→N, VC: N→L, VA: N→H | 0.0 → 2.3 |
| 2026-07-21 | cve.org | initial, patch: Unavailable | 0.0 |
Affected Software
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|
| wordpress | wordpress | 4.5.3 |
Published: 2017-01-18
