CVE-2024-4443

Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing Directories for WordPress <= 6.4.2 - Unauthenticated SQL Injection via listingfields Parameter

2024-05-21 16:56
Krzysztof Zając

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 6.4.3
Affected Plugin
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress
Affected Version
<= 6.4.2
CVSS
9.8Critical
Weakness type
CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE
CVE-2024-4443
View all Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-4443 is a critical-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Business Directory Plugin WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 6.4.2. 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 6.4.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2024, reported by Krzysztof Zając.

Vulnerability Overview

The Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing Directories for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to time-based SQL Injection via the ‘listingfields’ parameter in all versions up to, and including, 6.4.2 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.

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')

Business Directory Plugin <= 6.4.2 carries this weakness at listingfields, and reaching it takes no account at all. 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 Business Directory Plugin the fix is 6.4.3: builds <= 6.4.2 are affected, anything from 6.4.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 6.4.3, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Business Directory Plugin 6.4.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-4443https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/982fb304-08d6-4195-97a3-f18e94295492https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-4443

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C