CVE-2023-0329

Elementor <= 3.12.1 - Authenticated(Administrator+) SQL Injection via 'replace_urls'

2023-04-24 00:00
Sanjay Das

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.12.2
Affected Plugin
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder
Affected Version
< 3.12.2
CVSS
6.6Medium
Weakness type
CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE
CVE-2023-0329
View all Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-0329 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Elementor Website Builder WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 3.12.2. It carries a CVSS score of 6.6 (reachable over the network; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Administrator level or above. The issue is fixed in version 3.12.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed April 2023, reported by Sanjay Das.

Vulnerability Overview

The Elementor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to blind SQL Injection via the 'replace_urls' functionality in versions up to, and including, 3.12.1 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied 'old' and 'new' parameters and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with administrator-level permissions 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, 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')

Elementor Website Builder < 3.12.2 carries this weakness at replace_urls, and reaching it takes an account at Administrator level or above. 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 Elementor Website Builder the fix is 3.12.2: builds < 3.12.2 are affected, anything from 3.12.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.12.2, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Administrator access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Elementor Website Builder 3.12.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-0329https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/a7bd173c-dc61-4cc6-b42f-311acf728080https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-0329

Related records

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