Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.1.0.10
- Affected Plugin
- Location Manager
- Affected Version
< 2.1.0.10- CVSS
- 9.8Critical
- Weakness type
- CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
- CVE
CVE-2021-24361
At a glance
CVE-2021-24361 is a critical-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Location Manager WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 2.1.0.10. 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 2.1.0.10; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2021, reported by Rafal Goryl.
Vulnerability Overview
In the Location Manager WordPress plugin before 2.1.0.10, the AJAX action gd_popular_location_list did not properly sanitise or validate some of its POST parameters, which are then used in a SQL statement, leading to unauthenticated SQL Injection issues.
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 Location Manager < 2.1.0.10 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 Location Manager the fix is 2.1.0.10: builds < 2.1.0.10 are affected, anything from 2.1.0.10 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.1.0.10, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Location Manager: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Location Manager 2.1.0.10 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
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