CVE-2024-56214: Userpro Path Traversal Vulnerability

CVE-2024-56214 Overview

CVE-2024-56214 is a path traversal vulnerability in the DeluxeThemes UserPro plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of UserPro up to and including 5.1.9. Attackers exploit the .../...// traversal pattern to bypass directory restrictions and access files outside the intended scope. Patchstack classifies the issue as a local file inclusion (LFI) vulnerability, mapped to [CWE-35] (Path Traversal: .../...//). Successful exploitation impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected WordPress installation. The vulnerability requires user interaction over a network attack vector.

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can traverse directories on WordPress sites running UserPro 5.1.9 or earlier to include and disclose sensitive local files, potentially leading to code execution.

Affected Products

DeluxeThemes UserPro plugin for WordPress, versions through 5.1.9
WordPress sites with UserPro installed and activated
WordPress hosting environments exposing UserPro endpoints to unauthenticated traffic

Discovery Timeline

2024-12-31 - CVE-2024-56214 published to NVD
2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-56214

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a path traversal flaw classified under [CWE-35]. UserPro fails to properly normalize and validate user-supplied file path input. Attackers supply the .../...// traversal sequence, which bypasses naive sanitization routines that strip a single ../ pattern. The remaining characters reassemble into a valid directory traversal payload after filtering. This allows the plugin to resolve paths outside the intended directory and load arbitrary files from the underlying filesystem.

Patchstack categorizes the issue as a local file inclusion vulnerability. LFI on a WordPress installation enables disclosure of wp-config.php database credentials, secret keys, and other configuration material. Depending on PHP configuration and included content, the flaw can escalate to remote code execution through log poisoning or session file inclusion.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient input sanitization on file path parameters processed by UserPro. The plugin's filter logic does not iteratively normalize traversal sequences before resolving paths. The .../...// pattern collapses to ../ after a single-pass filter removes .. substrings, which defeats the protection.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network and requires user interaction, such as a victim clicking a crafted link. The attack does not require authentication. An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request containing the traversal payload as a parameter value to a vulnerable UserPro endpoint. The plugin resolves the manipulated path and reads or includes the target file. Refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Advisory for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-56214

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP request parameters containing .../...//, ....//, or URL-encoded variants such as %2e%2e%2f
Web server access logs showing UserPro endpoints returning unexpected file contents or PHP source
Unexpected reads of sensitive files including wp-config.php, /etc/passwd, or PHP session files
Outbound requests originating from PHP-FPM following inclusion of attacker-controlled content

Detection Strategies

Inspect WordPress access logs for traversal patterns targeting UserPro plugin paths
Deploy web application firewall (WAF) signatures that decode and normalize paths before matching ../ sequences
Monitor file integrity on the WordPress installation for unauthorized changes to plugin or theme files
Correlate HTTP 200 responses on UserPro endpoints with abnormally large response bodies indicating file disclosure

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose logging on the WordPress reverse proxy or load balancer for all UserPro request paths
Alert on PHP include and require calls referencing user-controlled paths through runtime application self-protection tooling
Track outbound network connections from the web server process to identify follow-on activity after LFI exploitation

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-56214

Immediate Actions Required

Update the DeluxeThemes UserPro plugin to a version newer than 5.1.9 once a fixed release is available
Disable or remove the UserPro plugin if a patched version is not yet installable
Restrict access to UserPro endpoints behind authentication or IP allow-lists until remediation is complete
Audit wp-config.php, API keys, and database credentials for potential exposure and rotate secrets

Patch Information

Review the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Advisory for vendor remediation guidance. The advisory tracks all versions through 5.1.9 as affected. Apply the vendor-supplied update as soon as it is released through the WordPress plugin repository.

Workarounds

Deploy WAF rules that block requests containing .../...//, ....//, and encoded traversal sequences targeting /wp-content/plugins/userpro/ paths
Configure PHP open_basedir to confine the web server process to the WordPress document root and prevent reads outside it
Set allow_url_include = Off and allow_url_fopen = Off in php.ini to limit secondary exploitation paths
Apply least-privilege filesystem permissions so the PHP-FPM user cannot read sensitive system files

bash

# Example php.ini hardening to limit LFI impact
open_basedir = "/var/www/html:/tmp"
allow_url_include = Off
allow_url_fopen = Off
disable_functions = exec,passthru,shell_exec,system,proc_open,popen