CVE-2024-2340: Avada WordPress Theme Information Disclosure

CVE-2024-2340 Overview

CVE-2024-2340 is a sensitive information exposure vulnerability in the Avada theme for WordPress developed by Theme-fusion. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 7.11.6 and resides in the /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/ directory. The directory stores files uploaded through Avada-created forms without adequate access controls. Unauthenticated attackers can enumerate and retrieve these files directly over the network. The weakness is classified under CWE-548: Exposure of Information Through Directory Listing.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can retrieve sensitive data submitted through Avada form file uploads, including personally identifiable information, identity documents, and internal business records.

Affected Products

Theme-fusion Avada WordPress theme versions ≤ 7.11.6
WordPress sites using Avada forms with file upload fields
Any Avada deployment storing uploads in /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/

Discovery Timeline

2024-04-09 - CVE-2024-2340 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2340

Vulnerability Analysis

The Avada theme provides a form builder (Fusion Forms) that allows site operators to collect submissions, including file attachments. Uploaded files are written to /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/ on the web server. In versions through 7.11.6, this directory lacks server-side access restrictions. Files remain reachable through predictable or discoverable URLs served directly by the web server.

Attackers do not need authentication or user interaction to retrieve these files. The attack is executed over the network against the public WordPress site. Depending on form content, exposed data can include resumes, identification scans, financial documents, and other personal information collected by site owners.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing access control on the upload directory. The theme does not deploy an .htaccess deny rule, a randomized storage path, or an authenticated download handler. Any file written to /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/ is treated as publicly servable content by the underlying web server, exposing it to anyone who can guess or enumerate filenames.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated attacker requests files from the /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/ path on a vulnerable WordPress site. Where directory indexing is enabled, filenames can be enumerated directly. Where indexing is disabled, attackers rely on predictable naming patterns, exposed references in form confirmation emails, or data leaked through other channels. Successful requests return the raw uploaded files. See the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2340

Indicators of Compromise

Unauthenticated HTTP GET requests to URLs containing /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/
Repeated 200-response accesses to files in the fusion-forms directory from a single source address
Directory listing requests against /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/ returning HTML indexes
Access patterns that enumerate sequential or guessable filenames under the fusion-forms path

Detection Strategies

Review web server access logs for external requests to /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/ paths
Deploy a web application firewall rule that flags unauthenticated reads of fusion-forms uploads
Correlate referrer and user-agent anomalies with high-volume access to the uploads directory
Scan the site externally to confirm whether files in the fusion-forms directory are publicly reachable

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on any outside-business-hours access to the Avada forms upload directory
Track request rates per source IP targeting /wp-content/uploads/ paths and threshold on spikes
Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized analytics pipeline for retention and search
Monitor file additions in fusion-forms and alert when access patterns do not match submitting users

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2340

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade the Avada theme to a release later than 7.11.6 per the Avada Changelog Documentation
Audit the /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/ directory and remove files that are no longer required
Review access logs for prior unauthorized retrieval of form upload content
Notify affected individuals if submitted personal data was exposed, in line with applicable regulations

Patch Information

Theme-fusion addressed the issue in Avada releases after 7.11.6. Administrators should apply the latest Avada theme update through the WordPress admin console or the Avada registration dashboard. Confirm the installed version in Appearance > Themes after the update.

Workarounds

Add a web server rule denying direct access to /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/ for unauthenticated users
Disable directory indexing site-wide at the web server level to prevent enumeration
Move historical form uploads outside the web root until the theme is patched
Restrict access to the uploads directory using an .htaccess deny rule on Apache or an equivalent location block on Nginx

bash

# Apache .htaccess example to block public access to fusion-forms uploads
# Place at /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/.htaccess
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all

# Nginx equivalent in server block
# location ^~ /wp-content/uploads/fusion-forms/ {
#     deny all;
#     return 403;
# }