# CVE-2024-35781: WordPress Word Balloon plugin <= 4.21.1 - Local File Inclusion vulnerability

> Attackers can exploit a path traversal flaw in the Word Balloon plugin to include arbitrary local files, potentially leading to code execution.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Jun 2024
- **Updated:** 28 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xvv2-p83f-ppgf

## What is CVE-2024-35781?

CVE-2024-35781 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in YAHMAN Word Balloon, published on 21 Jun 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in YAHMAN Word Balloon allows PHP Local File Inclusion.This issue affects Word Balloon: from n/a through 4.21.1.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-35781?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Back2nature Word Balloon.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-35781?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-35781 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-35781 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-35781 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in YAHMAN Word Balloon

- [CVE-2023-5884](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5884/): Word Balloon < 4.20.3 - Avatar Removal via CSRF (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2022-4751](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4751/): Word Balloon < 4.19.3 - Contributor+ Stored XSS via Shortcode (medium 5.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-35781 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-35781 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in YAHMAN Word Balloon, published on 21 Jun 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-35781 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: YAHMAN Word Balloon. 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-2024-35781/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35781/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-35781
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-35781
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-35781

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35781/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.