CVE-2025-46441: Section Widget Path Traversal Flaw

CVE-2025-46441 Overview

CVE-2025-46441 is a path traversal vulnerability affecting the ctltwp Section Widget plugin for WordPress. The flaw exists in all versions up to and including 3.3.1. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit the .../...// traversal pattern to access files outside the intended directory scope over the network. The issue is tracked under CWE-35: Path Traversal: '.../...//' and was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) on May 19, 2025.

Critical Impact
Remote, unauthenticated attackers can read files outside the plugin's intended directory, exposing configuration data or other sensitive resources on WordPress sites running Section Widget <= 3.3.1.

Affected Products

ctltwp Section Widget plugin for WordPress
All versions from n/a through 3.3.1
WordPress sites with the Section Widget plugin installed and activated

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-19 - CVE-2025-46441 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-46441

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a path traversal weakness classified under CWE-35. It uses the .../...// pattern, a known bypass for naive sanitization routines that only strip a single ../ sequence. When a filter removes ../ once, the residual characters recombine into ../, allowing traversal to succeed.

The attack requires no authentication or user interaction. The confidentiality impact is limited, while integrity and availability remain unaffected, indicating an information disclosure outcome rather than write or execution primitives. The EPSS probability is 0.325% with a percentile of 24.687, reflecting low observed exploitation activity at the time of publication.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper sanitization of user-supplied path input within the Section Widget plugin. The plugin does not canonicalize file paths before use, and its filtering logic fails to account for overlapping traversal sequences such as .../...//. This allows attacker-controlled input to escape the intended directory.

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated remote attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to a vulnerable Section Widget endpoint. The request embeds the .../...// sequence in a parameter that the plugin uses to build a file path. The server resolves the path outside the plugin's intended directory and returns file contents to the attacker. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-46441

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to WordPress endpoints containing the literal string .../...// or URL-encoded variants such as ...%2F...%2F%2F
Access log entries referencing Section Widget plugin paths with unusual query parameters containing dot sequences
Web server responses returning contents of files outside /wp-content/plugins/section-widget/

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules that flag traversal patterns including ../, ..%2F, and the overlapping .../...// variant
Inspect PHP error logs for file_get_contents or include calls referencing paths above the plugin directory
Correlate authentication-free requests to Section Widget URIs with abnormal response sizes indicating file disclosure

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose HTTP request logging on WordPress hosts running the Section Widget plugin
Alert on repeated 200 responses from plugin endpoints when the request contains dot-slash sequences
Monitor file access patterns for reads of wp-config.php or other sensitive files initiated by the web server user

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-46441

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress installations running the Section Widget plugin at version <= 3.3.1
Deactivate and remove the plugin if a patched release is not yet available or verified
Restrict web server file system permissions so the PHP process cannot read sensitive files outside the web root

Patch Information

No fixed version is listed in the NVD entry for CVE-2025-46441 at the time of publication. Administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report and the plugin's WordPress.org page for updates beyond 3.3.1.

Workarounds

Block requests containing .../...// and related traversal patterns at the WAF or reverse proxy layer
Apply virtual patching through Patchstack or an equivalent WordPress security service until an official fix is released
Enforce PHP open_basedir restrictions to constrain file access to the WordPress installation directory

bash

# Example ModSecurity rule to block the .../...// traversal pattern
SecRule REQUEST_URI|ARGS "@rx \.{3,}/\.{3,}/+" \
    "id:1004641,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,\
    msg:'CVE-2025-46441 Section Widget path traversal attempt'"