CVE-2014-3937

Contextual Related Posts < 1.8.10.2 - SQL Injection

2014-03-06 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.8.10.2
Affected Plugin: Contextual Related Posts
Affected Version: < 1.8.10.2
CVSS: 9.8Critical
Weakness type: CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE: CVE-2014-3937

View all Contextual Related Posts vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2014-3937 is a critical-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Contextual Related Posts WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 1.8.10.2. 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 1.8.10.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2014, reported by flynsarmy.

Vulnerability Overview

SQL injection vulnerability in the Contextual Related Posts plugin before 1.8.10.2 for WordPress allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via unspecified vectors.

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 Contextual Related Posts < 1.8.10.2 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 Contextual Related Posts the fix is 1.8.10.2: builds < 1.8.10.2 are affected, anything from 1.8.10.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.8.10.2, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Contextual Related Posts: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Contextual Related Posts 1.8.10.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-3937 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/1ead6a38-b495-47d2-8d40-1f17e64fd1ff https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-3937

Related records

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

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