CVE-2021-25030

Events Made Easy <= 2.2.35 - Subscriber+ SQL Injection

2021-12-06 00:00
Krzysztof Zając

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 2.2.36
Affected Plugin
Events Made Easy
Affected Version
<= 2.2.35
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE
CVE-2021-25030
View all Events Made Easy vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2021-25030 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Events Made Easy WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.2.35. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). The issue is fixed in version 2.2.36; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed December 2021, reported by Krzysztof Zając.

Vulnerability Overview

The Events Made Easy WordPress plugin before 2.2.36 does not sanitise and escape the search_text parameter before using it in a SQL statement via the eme_searchmail AJAX action, available to any authenticated users. As a result, users with a role as low as subscriber can call it and perform SQL injection attacks

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 Events Made Easy <= 2.2.35 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 Events Made Easy the fix is 2.2.36: builds <= 2.2.35 are affected, anything from 2.2.36 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.2.36, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Events Made Easy: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Events Made Easy 2.2.36 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-25030https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/eb23c4d7-d9be-4162-bb7b-8a74f3c339ebhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25030

Related records

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