CVE-2023-5505 MEDIUM

CVE-2023-5505: BackWPup <= 4.0.1 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Directory Traversal

Vendor Wp_Media
Product BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin
Weakness CWE-22 · Path traversal
Published August 17, 2024
Last update April 8, 2026

CVSS base score

6.8/10
Attack vector Network
Attack complexity Low
Privileges required High
User interaction None
Confidentiality None
Integrity None

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

What the vulnerability does

01Description

The BackWPup plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Directory Traversal in versions up to, and including, 4.0.1 via the job-specific backup folder. This allows authenticated attackers to store backups in arbitrary folders on the server provided they can be written to by the server. Additionally, default settings will place an index.php and a .htaccess file into the chosen directory (unless already present) when the first backup job is run that are intended to prevent directory listing and file access. This means that an attacker could set the backup directory to the root of another site in a shared environment and thus disable that site.

Key dates

02Disclosure timeline

August 17, 2024 CVE published
April 8, 2026 Record updated