Contest Gallery – Files Upload and Contest Plugin for WordPress <= 17.0.4 - Admin+ SQL Injection

2022-06-01 00:00
Anonymous

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 17.0.5
Affected Plugin
Contest Gallery – Upload & Vote Photos, Media, Sell with PayPal & Stripe
Affected Version
<= 17.0.4
CVSS
7.2High
Weakness type
CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE
CVE pending
View all Contest Gallery – Upload & Vote Photos, Media, Sell with PayPal & Stripe vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Contest Gallery WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 17.0.4. It carries a CVSS score of 7.2 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). The issue is fixed in version 17.0.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2022.

Vulnerability Overview

The Contest Gallery – Files Upload and Contest Plugin for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to SQL Injection via the ID variable supplied via the post_contest_gallery_action_ajax AJAX action. This can only be exploited by administrative-level users and above 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 Contest Gallery <= 17.0.4 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 Contest Gallery the fix is 17.0.5: builds <= 17.0.4 are affected, anything from 17.0.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 17.0.5, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Contest Gallery: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Contest Gallery 17.0.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/1f9d8bbe-205f-44b6-a0c6-89b9135e6363

Related records

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