Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2024-4442 is a critical-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Salonbookingsystem Salon Booking System. Its CVSS base score is 9.1 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 34% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
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 Salon booking system plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion in all versions up to and including 9.8. The issue stems from insufficient validation of file paths supplied to an uploaded-file removal handler, allowing path traversal (CWE-22). Unauthenticated attackers can therefore supply crafted paths that cause deletion of arbitrary files on the server, including wp-config.php, which can lead to database credential disclosure and subsequent site takeover or remote code execution. The vulnerability was only partially addressed in version 9.9 and fully resolved in 10.0; CVE-2024-37231 is noted as a duplicate.
Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit the flaw without any user interaction or authentication. By invoking the plugin’s AJAX file-removal endpoint with a malicious path parameter, an attacker can delete critical WordPress configuration files or other sensitive content, directly resulting in integrity and availability impacts rated at CVSS 9.1.
Public references point to the vulnerable code in RemoveUploadedFile.php and to subsequent WordPress plugin repository changesets that implement the necessary path sanitization. Site owners are advised to update immediately to version 10.0 or later; administrators unable to update should consider temporary mitigation such as disabling the booking plugin or restricting access to its AJAX endpoints.
EPSS for the CVE reached a peak of 0.3370 (current value 0.2671), indicating a noticeable increase in observed exploitation interest after disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-44061
Vulnerability Data
The Salon booking system plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion in all versions up to, and including, 9.8. This is due to the plugin not properly validating the path of an uploaded file prior to deleting it.…
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This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to delete arbitrary files, including the wp-config.php file, which can make site takeover and remote code execution possible. This was partially patched in 9.9, and sufficiently patched in 10.0. CVE-2024-37231 appears to be a duplicate of this issue.
- 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
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces the intended directory access authorizations that path traversal would otherwise bypass.
Input validation directly neutralizes special path elements before pathname construction occurs.
Least privilege reduces the impact of any unauthorized file access obtained via traversal.
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.