# CVE-2022-4140: Welcart e-Commerce < 2.8.5 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Access

> Unauthenticated attackers can read arbitrary files on the server due to lack of input validation in the Welcart e-Commerce plugin.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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:** 2 Jan 2023
- **Updated:** 10 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-6c75-m6fq-9mh7

## What is CVE-2022-4140?

CVE-2022-4140 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Unknown Welcart e-Commerce, published on 2 Jan 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Welcart e-Commerce WordPress plugin before 2.8.5 does not validate user input before using it to output the content of a file, which could allow unauthenticated attacker to read arbitrary files on the server

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-4140?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Welcart Welcart E-Commerce.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-4140?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-4140 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2022-4140 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2022-4140 exists.

Public exploit code:

- WordPress plugin Welcart e-Commerce < 2.8.5 - Arbitrary File Read (github_poc): https://github.com/anirbala98/CVE-2022-4140
- WordPress Welcart e-Commerce <2.8.5 - Arbitrary File Access (nuclei): http/cves/2022/CVE-2022-4140.yaml

## Other vulnerabilities in Unknown Welcart e-Commerce

- [CVE-2023-5952](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5952/): Welcart e-Commerce < 2.9.5 - Unauthenticated PHP Object Injection (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-42404](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-42404/): SQL injection in Welcart e-Commerce (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-5953](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5953/): Welcart e-Commerce < 2.9.5 - Subscriber+ Arbitrary File Upload (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-43610](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-43610/): SQL injection in Welcart e-Commerce (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-4237](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4237/): Welcart e-Commerce < 2.8.6 - Subscriber+ PHAR Deserialisation (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-4140 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-4140 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Unknown Welcart e-Commerce, published on 2 Jan 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2022-4140 exists.

Affected product: Unknown Welcart e-Commerce. 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-2022-4140/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4140/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-4140
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-4140
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-4140

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4140/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.