CVE-2023-5991
Path Traversal in Motopress Hotel Booking Lite ≤ 4.8.5
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2023-5991 is a critical-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Motopress Hotel Booking Lite. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 13% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
The Hotel Booking Lite WordPress plugin before version 4.8.5 is affected by a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) that stems from missing validation of user-supplied file paths together with absent CSRF and authorization checks. The flaw carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8 and permits unauthenticated remote interaction with arbitrary server files.
An attacker with no credentials can supply crafted paths to download or delete any file accessible to the web server process. Successful exploitation can result in disclosure of sensitive configuration or database files and in destructive modification of plugin or core WordPress assets, enabling further compromise of the site.
The referenced WPScan advisory identifies the issue in builds prior to 4.8.5 and indicates that updating to the fixed release eliminates the vulnerable code paths. The associated EPSS score has remained elevated, with a current value of 0.7832 and a recorded peak of 0.8014, reflecting sustained exploitation interest after disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-58258
Vulnerability Data
The Hotel Booking Lite WordPress plugin before 4.8.5 does not validate file paths provided via user input, as well as does not have proper CSRF and authorisation checks, allowing unauthenticated users to download and delete arbitrary files on the server
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.3.2
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Validates pathnames and filenames to prevent traversal outside intended directories.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.
PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.
Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.
Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.
Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.
Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.