Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessIdentify WordPress site running DirectoryPress ≤ 3.6.27
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DeliverySend crafted request with manipulated path parameter
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ExploitPlugin includes attacker-controlled local file
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ExecutionRead wp-config.php / sensitive files
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ImpactHarvest credentials or chain to code execution
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling File inclusion prevention, allowlisting
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Command and Control The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires a publicly reachable WordPress installation running the DirectoryPress plugin at version 3.6.27 or earlier, with the vulnerable file-inclusion endpoint accessible (no authentication needed per PR:N). The specific vulnerable parameter/endpoint is not named in the provided data and must be taken from the Patchstack advisory. Limiting factors: the attack surface exists only on sites that have this particular commercial plugin installed and active; the plugin's modest deployment footprint, rather than any configuration prerequisite, is the primary constraint on real-world exploitability. Whether the LFI escalates beyond file disclosure to code execution depends on server conditions (readable/writable log or session files, PHP wrapper availability) that are not confirmed in the input. |
| Impact | The input CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 9.8) describes a fully remote, unauthenticated, low-complexity flaw with no user interaction - the strongest possible exploitability profile. However, the signals partially conflict: the vulnerability is described as 'Local File Inclusion' and carries an 'Information Disclosure' tag, which normally implies a confidentiality-dominant impact (file read), yet the vector rates Integrity and Availability as High. CWE-98 (improper control of filename for include/require in PHP) does provide a credible path from LFI to remote code execution (e.g., log poisoning, PHP wrappers, or session/file upload chaining), which would justify the High I/A ratings, but the provided data does not confirm that an RCE chain was demonstrated - verify the full impact with Patchstack. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC are present in the input, so there is no evidence of active or at-scale exploitation. Net assessment: this is a genuinely attractive target on paper (unauthenticated + network + default-reachable WordPress endpoint), but the absence of KEV/EPSS/POC signals, combined with the relatively niche footprint of the affected plugin, points to this being a patch-promptly priority rather than an in-the-wild emergency. Prioritize based on exposure (internet-facing WordPress sites running DirectoryPress) rather than on confirmed exploitation. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A remote, unauthenticated attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to a vulnerable DirectoryPress endpoint on a public WordPress site, supplying a manipulated file-path parameter that the plugin passes to a PHP include/require call. This lets the attacker read sensitive local files such as wp-config.php (database credentials, auth salts) and, if the LFI can be chained with log/session poisoning typical of CWE-98, potentially achieve code execution. No public exploit code was identified in the provided data, so any attack would require the adversary to independently develop the request. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 10, 2026
Unauthenticated local file inclusion in the DirectoryPress WordPress plugin (versions up to and including 3.6.27) allows any remote attacker to read arbitrary files on the hosting server, exposing items such as wp-config.php with database credentials and authentication salts. The reporter's CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N, base 9.8) reflects a fully remote, unauthenticated, low-complexity attack requiring no user interaction, and the plugin's modest deployment footprint is the main practical limit on exploitation rather than any configuration prerequisite. No public exploit code and no confirmed active exploitation were identified at time of analysis; independent review narrows realistic impact to confidentiality loss (C:H/I:N/A:N), with escalation to code execution dependent on unconfirmed server conditions such as writable log or session files and PHP wrapper availability.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch version is identified in the provided data, so the first step is to check the Patchstack advisory (https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/directorypress/vulnerability/wordpress-directorypress-plugin-3-6-27-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability) and the DesignInvento vendor site for an updated DirectoryPress release, and to install it immediately once published; absence of a confirmed fix is not evidence that none exists. Until then, the most reliable control is to deactivate and remove the plugin if its directory functionality is not essential, which eliminates the attack surface entirely at the cost of that feature. If the plugin must stay active, place a WAF or reverse-proxy rule in front of the site that rejects requests containing traversal and wrapper payloads (../, %2e%2e, php://filter, data://, /etc/passwd), accepting that encoding tricks can evade signature-based blocking; constrain the blast radius by setting open_basedir to the WordPress document root, disabling allow_url_include and unused stream wrappers, disabling display_errors, and running PHP under a low-privilege account. Because the endpoint is unauthenticated, IP or role restriction is only viable if the vulnerable route can be isolated in the web server configuration. Treat any suspected exploitation as credential compromise: rotate database credentials and WordPress salts, and monitor web logs for encoded traversal strings as an indicator of the file-read attempts.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The flaw is a PHP local file inclusion (LFI) classed as CWE-98, improper control of a filename used in an include/require statement, in the commercial DirectoryPress directory/membership plugin for WordPress, tracked by the CPE cpe:2.3:a:designinvento:directorypress. In PHP, when a plugin passes user-controlled input into include(), require(), or file-reading wrappers without restricting the path, an attacker can supply traversal sequences (../) or wrapper schemes such as php://filter to disclose files the web server process can read. Because the affected component runs as part of a WordPress installation, the CVSS vector's PR:N means the vulnerable endpoint is reachable without authentication, and the Patchstack tags (PHP, WordPress, LFI, Information Disclosure, DirectoryPress, DesignInvento) match this assessment. The specific vulnerable parameter and endpoint are not named in the provided data and must be taken from the Patchstack advisory; whether the include path can be steered toward attacker-influenced content (turning disclosure into code execution) depends on writable/readable log or session files and wrapper configuration that the input does not confirm.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Unauthenticated network LFI reads arbitrary local files (C:H); I/A set to N because only file disclosure is evidenced - raise to H only if an RCE chain via CWE-98 is confirmed.
Primary rating from Vendor (Patchstack).
CVSS VectorVendor: Patchstack
DescriptionCVE.org
Unauthenticated Local File Inclusion in DirectoryPress <= 3.6.27 versions.
Executive ViewAI
The DirectoryPress WordPress plugin, versions up to and including 3.6.27, contains an unauthenticated file inclusion flaw that allows any remote attacker to read sensitive files such as wp-config.php, exposing database credentials and authentication salts. Organizations hosting internet-facing WordPress sites with this plugin could face full database compromise or site takeover, though the plugin's limited deployment footprint and the absence of observed exploitation reduce immediate likelihood. Leadership should prioritize identifying affected sites and deploying interim mitigations while awaiting a vendor fix.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include deactivating or removing the DirectoryPress plugin where possible, deploying WAF rules to block local file inclusion patterns, restricting direct access to plugin files, moving wp-config.php outside the web root, disabling unnecessary PHP wrappers, rotating database credentials and authentication salts, and monitoring for unauthorized file reads.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Local File Inclusion vulnerabilities occur when an application accepts user-controlled input to specify which file should be loaded or executed, typically through functions like PHP's `include()`, `require()`, or `fopen()`.
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
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