CVE-2017-18570

cformsII <= 14.12.3 - Authenticated SQL Injection

2017-04-24 00:00
Anonymous

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 14.13
Affected Plugin
cformsII
Affected Version
< 14.13
CVSS
7.2High
Weakness type
CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE
CVE-2017-18570
View all cformsII vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2017-18570 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the cformsII WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 14.13. It carries a CVSS score of 7.2 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account. The issue is fixed in version 14.13; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2017.

Vulnerability Overview

The cformsII plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to generic SQL Injection via Delete Entries or Download Entries in versions up to, and including, 14.12.3 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for highly-privileged 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 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 cformsII < 14.13 takes any authenticated account. 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 cformsII the fix is 14.13: builds < 14.13 are affected, anything from 14.13 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 14.13, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to cformsII: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: cformsII 14.13 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-18570https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/2f533b3a-6d25-4c74-929f-ee4ee3a62926https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-18570

Related records

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