CVE-2022-2552 in Duplicator Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/22/2022
The Duplicator WordPress plugin before 1.4.7 does not authenticate or authorize visitors before displaying information about the system such as server software, php version and full file system path to the site.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-2552 affects the Duplicator WordPress plugin version 1.4.6 and earlier, representing a critical information disclosure flaw that exposes sensitive system metadata to unauthorized users. This issue stems from the plugin's failure to implement proper authentication and authorization mechanisms when serving system information, creating a significant security risk for WordPress installations that rely on this backup and migration tool. The vulnerability allows any visitor to the website to access detailed technical information about the underlying server environment, including the server software type, php version, and complete file system paths to the site installation.
The technical flaw manifests in the plugin's lack of access control checks for sensitive data retrieval endpoints. When users access specific plugin pages or APIs without proper authentication, the system returns comprehensive system information that should only be accessible to authorized administrators. This unauthenticated exposure of server metadata creates a dangerous attack surface that aligns with CWE-200, which catalogs weaknesses related to information exposure. The vulnerability specifically enables attackers to gather intelligence about the target environment, including operating system details, web server configuration, php version numbers, and complete file paths that could be leveraged for subsequent exploitation attempts. The disclosure of full file system paths particularly increases the risk of path traversal attacks and helps attackers identify potential vulnerabilities in the system's directory structure.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly weakens the security posture of affected WordPress installations by providing attackers with crucial reconnaissance data that would otherwise be protected. The exposure of php version information allows threat actors to identify potentially outdated or vulnerable php versions that may contain known security flaws, while server software identification helps attackers tailor their exploitation techniques to specific web server implementations. The complete file system paths reveal directory structures that could be exploited for path traversal, local file inclusion, or other file system-based attacks. This information disclosure creates a foundation for more sophisticated attacks and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1082, which covers system information discovery, enabling adversaries to gather intelligence for their operations.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate action to upgrade the Duplicator plugin to version 1.4.7 or later, where proper authentication and authorization checks have been implemented. System administrators should also conduct thorough security audits to ensure no other plugins or themes expose similar information disclosure vulnerabilities. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns to plugin endpoints, while access logs should be reviewed for any unauthorized attempts to access system information. Organizations should implement proper security configurations including restricting access to plugin administration areas and ensuring that only authorized personnel can access sensitive system information. The fix addresses the root cause by implementing mandatory authentication checks before serving any system metadata, thereby preventing unauthorized access to the exposed information and aligning with security best practices for information access control.