# CVE-2023-28408: Path traversal in MW WP Form

> Remote unauthenticated attackers can exploit a directory traversal flaw in MW WP Form to read sensitive files or cause denial of service.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 23 May 2023
- **Updated:** 17 Jan 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3q42-588x-m4gv

## What is CVE-2023-28408?

CVE-2023-28408 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in Monkey Wrench Inc. MW WP Form, published on 23 May 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Directory traversal vulnerability in MW WP Form versions v4.4.2 and earlier allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to alter the website or cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition, and obtain sensitive information depending on settings.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-28408?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mw Wp Form Project Mw Wp Form.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-28408?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-28408 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-28408 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-28408 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Monkey Wrench Inc. MW WP Form

- [CVE-2023-6316](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-6316/): MW WP Form <= 5.0.1 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Upload (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-28409](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28409/): File upload in MW WP Form (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-28408 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-28408 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in Monkey Wrench Inc. MW WP Form, published on 23 May 2023. 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-2023-28408 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Monkey Wrench Inc. MW WP Form. 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-2023-28408/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28408/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-28408
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28408
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-28408

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28408/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.