# CVE-2019-1010257: Path traversal in article2pdf Wordpress plug-in

> Attackers can download or delete arbitrary PDF files via path traversal in the article2pdf WordPress plugin, potentially exposing sensitive data.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 Mar 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cfh9-r7f4-q6vh

## What is CVE-2019-1010257?

CVE-2019-1010257 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in article2pdf Wordpress plug-in, published on 27 Mar 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An Information Disclosure / Data Modification issue exists in article2pdf_getfile.php in the article2pdf Wordpress plugin 0.24, 0.25, 0.26, 0.27. A URL can be constructed which allows overriding the PDF file's path leading to any PDF whose path is known and which is readable to the web server can be downloaded. The file will be deleted after download if the web server has permission to do so. For PHP versions before 5.3, any file can be read by null terminating the string left of the file extension.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-1010257?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Article2pdf Project Article2pdf.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-1010257?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-1010257 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-1010257 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-1010257 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in article2pdf Wordpress plug-in

- [CVE-2019-1000031](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1000031/): Denial of service in article2pdf Wordpress plug-in (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-1010257 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-1010257 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in article2pdf Wordpress plug-in, published on 27 Mar 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-1010257 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: article2pdf Wordpress plug-in. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1010257/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1010257/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1010257
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-1010257
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-1010257

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-1010257/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.