CVE-2024-7262 is a path traversal vulnerability in Kingsoft WPS Office. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 3 September 2024, which means attackers have used it in real attacks. Kingsoft WPS Office contains a path traversal vulnerability in promecefpluginhost.exe on Windows that allows an attacker to load an arbitrary Windows library.
What the vulnerability is
Path traversal in a desktop office suite becomes dangerous when an attacker can influence how the application resolves file paths and then force it to load or open content outside the intended directory boundary. In this case, the risk is not just unauthorized file access, but code execution through library loading.
On Windows, that matters because local path resolution mistakes can let an attacker redirect a trusted process toward a malicious DLL or similar library, turning a document-opening workflow into an execution path. For context on how traversal and related web or client-side injection patterns are commonly discussed, see the Web Application Attacks Guide.
Why exploited path traversal is high impact
Once a vulnerability is in CISA’s KEV catalogue, organisations should treat it as active exposure, not a theoretical flaw. The practical concern is that an attacker often needs only one successful interaction with the vulnerable application to move from file-system abuse to code execution, persistence, or follow-on access.
That makes the issue especially dangerous in environments where the office suite is widely deployed, where users open untrusted files, or where the software runs with more access than the attacker would normally have. The broader pattern of exploited software flaws and remediation urgency is covered in NHIMG’s Vulnerability Management Guide.
How organisations should check exposure
Exposure assessment starts with a reliable inventory: where the product is installed, which Windows endpoints run it, and whether any internet-facing delivery paths, remote desktop workflows, or shared file repositories increase reachability. Vendor advisories and the KEV entry are the authoritative sources for version-specific scope and patch status.
For published vulnerability records and official identifier data, use the CVE Program and the NIST National Vulnerability Database to confirm the record, then compare that with your asset inventory and endpoint management data.
Containment, detection, and recovery
If patching is delayed, reduce exposure by limiting who can open untrusted files, restricting write access to sensitive directories, and watching for unusual child processes or library loads from the office suite process tree. A path traversal flaw that leads to arbitrary library loading often leaves behavioural clues in process telemetry, file writes, and endpoint protection logs.
After remediation, review affected hosts for signs of post-exploitation, including unexpected persistence, newly planted binaries, suspicious DLLs, and any credentials or session material that may have been touched during the compromise. If exploitation is suspected, the safest assumption is that the endpoint trust boundary has been weakened and should be revalidated before returning the system to service.
Risk and Threat Considerations
This kind of flaw is attractive because it gives an attacker a route from a document-handling product into code execution on the endpoint. That can convert a routine productivity application into an execution platform for payload delivery, persistence, or lateral movement.
Failure mechanism: The application resolves attacker-influenced paths incorrectly, allowing a malicious library to be loaded in place of a trusted one.
Impact: An attacker can execute code in the context of the user or process, then extend access to files, sessions, and nearby systems if the endpoint is trusted elsewhere in the environment.
Standards & Framework Alignment
This section maps relevant standards and security frameworks to the operational risks and controls described in this guidance.
CIS Controls v8, NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 and OWASP ASVS set the governance and control requirements practitioners need to meet.
| Framework | Control / Reference | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| CIS Controls v8 | CIS-7 — Continuous Vulnerability Management | Path traversal in an actively exploited app demands rapid identification and remediation of exposed endpoints. |
| Recommendation — Prioritise KEV-listed flaws for expedited remediation and verify exposure across your asset inventory. | ||
| NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 | SI-2 — Flaw Remediation | This CVE requires disciplined flaw remediation and tracking until affected hosts are fixed. |
| RA-5 — Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning | Organisations need scanning and monitoring to find where the vulnerable office suite is deployed. | |
| AU-2 — Event Logging | Detecting exploitation depends on sufficient process and file activity logging around the office suite. | |
| Recommendation — Track the flaw to closure and validate that remediation is completed on all affected systems. Scan for the vulnerable software and confirm which endpoints remain exposed. Log process creation, module loads, and file activity for the affected application. | ||
| OWASP ASVS | V13 — Configuration | The flaw is driven by unsafe path handling and trusted-process configuration weaknesses. |
| Recommendation — Review path handling and related configuration assumptions that allow unsafe file resolution. | ||
Practitioner Guidance
What to watch for: Prioritise assets where the product is common, user behaviour includes frequent file opening from email or shared storage, or endpoint monitoring shows suspicious library loads from the application process. Those are the environments where a traversal flaw is most likely to become an execution event rather than a benign bug.
Governance implication: Treat KEV-listed application flaws as time-sensitive exposure management issues, not ordinary backlog items. Patch ownership, exception handling, and verification should be explicit so that remediation does not stall after initial identification.