CVE-2024-6557 is an information exposure vulnerability classified under CWE-200 affecting the SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher WordPress plugin developed by wpdevteam. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 5.1.3. It arises because the plugin uses the wpdeveloper library and leaves demo files accessible on the server with PHP's display_errors directive enabled. This configuration causes error messages to reveal the full filesystem path of the web application when certain requests are made. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this flaw remotely without any user interaction to obtain the full path information. Although the disclosed path information does not directly lead to compromise, it can facilitate other attacks such as local file inclusion, path traversal, or targeted exploitation of other vulnerabilities by providing attackers with precise directory structure knowledge. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3 (medium severity), reflecting the vulnerability's ease of exploitation (network vector, no privileges or user interaction required) but limited impact (confidentiality impact only, no integrity or availability impact). No patches or exploits are currently publicly available, but the presence of demo files and enabled error display indicates a misconfiguration that should be corrected to reduce attack surface.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-6557 is the disclosure of sensitive internal information about the web server's file system structure. This information can be leveraged by attackers to improve the success rate of subsequent attacks, such as remote code execution, local file inclusion, or privilege escalation, especially if other vulnerabilities exist on the same system. Although the vulnerability itself does not allow direct compromise, it lowers the barrier for attackers by revealing critical environmental details. Organizations running WordPress sites with the SchedulePress plugin are at risk of targeted reconnaissance. This can lead to increased likelihood of successful exploitation of chained vulnerabilities, potentially resulting in data breaches, website defacement, or service disruption. The vulnerability affects all versions up to 5.1.3, so unpatched or unmitigated sites remain exposed. The impact is more significant for high-profile websites or those handling sensitive data, where attackers may be motivated to perform deeper reconnaissance.

To mitigate CVE-2024-6557, organizations should immediately: 1) Remove or restrict access to any demo files included with the SchedulePress plugin or the wpdeveloper library to prevent unintended information disclosure. 2) Disable PHP's display_errors directive in production environments to avoid revealing error messages that contain sensitive path information. 3) Update the SchedulePress plugin to the latest version once a patch is released by the vendor, or monitor vendor advisories for updates. 4) Implement web application firewalls (WAFs) with rules to block requests that attempt to trigger error messages or access demo files. 5) Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability scans to detect leftover demo files or misconfigurations. 6) Employ least privilege principles and isolate WordPress installations to limit the impact of any potential chained attacks. 7) Monitor logs for suspicious requests that may indicate reconnaissance attempts targeting this vulnerability. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on configuration hygiene and proactive detection to reduce exposure.