CVE-2007-6318

WordPress Core < 2.3.2 - SQL Injection

2007-09-08 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.3.2
Affected Core: WordPress 2.3
Affected Version: <= 2.3.1
CVSS: 9.8Critical
Weakness type: CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE: CVE-2007-6318

At a glance

CVE-2007-6318 is a critical-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the WordPress 2.3 WordPress release line, affecting <= 2.3.1. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 2.3.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2007.

Vulnerability Overview

SQL injection vulnerability in wp-includes/query.php in WordPress 2.3.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the s parameter, when DB_CHARSET is set to (1) Big5, (2) GBK, or possibly other character set encodings that support a "\" in a multibyte character.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')

Reaching this weakness in WordPress 2.3 <= 2.3.1 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. SQL injection happens when request data is concatenated into a query instead of being bound as a parameter, letting an attacker change the structure of the statement rather than just its values.

A working injection can read any table the database user can see, which on a WordPress install means user records, password hashes and session or API secrets stored in options. For WordPress 2.3 the fix is 2.3.2: builds <= 2.3.1 are affected, anything from 2.3.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.3.2, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to WordPress 2.3: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: updating to 2.3.2 is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2007-6318 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/2ad674f7-aff6-432d-9c4c-95aebf8fcf6b https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2007-6318

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in WordPress 2.3

CVSS Vector

9.8

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

This record contains material that is subject to copyright

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse

Defiant hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute this software vulnerability information. Any copy of the software vulnerability information you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you include a hyperlink to this vulnerability record and reproduce Defiant's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.wordfence.com/wordfence-intelligence-terms-and-conditions/