CVE-2023-3452

Deeper analysis

The Canto plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to remote file inclusion in versions up to and including 3.0.4. The flaw exists in the handling of the wp_abspath parameter within the tree.php component and is tracked as CWE-98. When the PHP allow_url_include directive is enabled on the server, the issue permits inclusion of arbitrary remote files; local file inclusion is also possible if an attacker can place a malicious file via FTP or another upload path readable by the web server. The vulnerability received a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8.

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit the weakness over the network without any user interaction or credentials. Successful exploitation grants the ability to execute arbitrary PHP code on the affected WordPress server, resulting in full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the host.

Public references include the vulnerable code in the plugin repository and a subsequent changeset (2951888) that modifies tree.php, indicating an official patch has been issued. The current EPSS score of 0.8711, with a recorded peak of 0.8783, reflects sustained exploitation interest following disclosure.