CVE-2017-20250: Mac Photo Gallery Path Traversal Flaw

CVE-2017-20250 Overview

CVE-2017-20250 is a path traversal vulnerability [CWE-22] in the Apptha Mac Photo Gallery WordPress plugin version 3.0. The flaw resides in the macdownload.php script, which fails to sanitize the albid parameter before using it to construct a file path. Unauthenticated remote attackers can supply directory traversal sequences such as ../ to read arbitrary files outside the intended plugin directory, including sensitive WordPress core files like wp-load.php.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can download arbitrary files from the web server, exposing WordPress configuration data, database credentials, and other sensitive files.

Affected Products

Apptha Mac Photo Gallery WordPress Plugin 3.0
WordPress installations with the vulnerable macdownload.php endpoint exposed
Sites using the Apptha gallery plugin without input sanitization on the albid parameter

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-09 - CVE-2017-20250 published to NVD
2026-06-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2017-20250

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of path traversal sequences in user-controlled input. The macdownload.php script accepts the albid parameter from HTTP requests and uses it directly when assembling a file path for download. Because the script does not validate or canonicalize the input, an attacker can inject ../ sequences to escape the intended album directory.

The Exploit-DB entry #41566 documents a working proof of concept that retrieves wp-load.php from the WordPress root. This file contains references to wp-config.php, which holds database credentials and authentication keys. Path traversal flaws of this class are catalogued under CWE-22.

According to EPSS data dated 2026-06-11, the vulnerability has a 0.284% probability of exploitation within 30 days. The flaw requires no authentication, no user interaction, and minimal attacker effort.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing input validation on the albid query parameter. The plugin concatenates the supplied value into a file system path without filtering directory traversal metacharacters or enforcing a base directory restriction using functions such as realpath() or basename().

Attack Vector

The attack is delivered over the network via a single crafted HTTP GET request to macdownload.php. The attacker supplies a value such as ../../../../wp-load.php in the albid parameter. The server responds with the raw contents of the targeted file. No credentials, session, or prior reconnaissance beyond plugin fingerprinting are required.

Refer to the Exploit-DB #41566 advisory and the VulnCheck advisory for the published request structure.

Detection Methods for CVE-2017-20250

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to /wp-content/plugins/mac-photo-gallery/macdownload.php containing ../ or URL-encoded %2e%2e%2f sequences in the albid parameter
Web server access logs showing successful 200 responses to macdownload.php requests referencing files outside the plugin directory, such as wp-config.php or wp-load.php
Unexpected outbound transfers of WordPress core files originating from the web server process

Detection Strategies

Inspect web access logs for macdownload.php requests where the albid parameter contains traversal characters or absolute path indicators
Deploy web application firewall rules that block path traversal patterns in query strings targeting the Apptha plugin endpoint
Correlate file read events on wp-config.php and wp-load.php by the web server user with concurrent HTTP requests to the vulnerable script

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose HTTP access logging that captures full query strings, not just request paths
Monitor for sequential requests to macdownload.php with varying albid values, which suggest automated file enumeration
Alert on any read access to wp-config.php by processes other than the WordPress runtime

How to Mitigate CVE-2017-20250

Immediate Actions Required

Disable or remove the Apptha Mac Photo Gallery 3.0 plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the vendor
Restrict direct web access to macdownload.php via web server rewrite rules or .htaccess deny directives
Rotate all WordPress secrets in wp-config.php, including database credentials and authentication salts, if log analysis indicates the file was accessed

Patch Information

No vendor patch is referenced in the available advisories. The Apptha vendor site should be checked for an updated plugin release. Operators should treat the plugin as unmaintained until the vendor publishes a fixed version that sanitizes the albid parameter.

Workarounds

Block requests containing ../, ..%2f, or %2e%2e%2f in query parameters at the web application firewall or reverse proxy layer
Add a web server access control rule that denies all external requests to macdownload.php while preserving internal plugin functionality
Apply file system permissions that prevent the web server user from reading files outside the WordPress content directory where feasible

bash

# Apache .htaccess workaround to block direct access to the vulnerable script
<Files "macdownload.php">
    Require all denied
</Files>

# Nginx equivalent
location ~* /wp-content/plugins/mac-photo-gallery/macdownload\.php$ {
    deny all;
    return 403;
}