Handsome Testimonials & Reviews < 2.1.1 - Authenticated SQL Injection
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 2.1.1
- Affected Plugin
- Handsome Testimonials & Reviews
- Affected Version
< 2.1.1- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
- CVE
CVE-2021-24492
At a glance
CVE-2021-24492 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Handsome Testimonials & Reviews WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 2.1.1. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account. The issue is fixed in version 2.1.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2021, reported by Shreya Pohekar.
Vulnerability Overview
The hndtst_action_instance_callback AJAX call of the Handsome Testimonials & Reviews WordPress plugin before 2.1.1, available to any authenticated users, does not sanitise, validate or escape the hndtst_previewShortcodeInstanceId POST parameter before using it in a SQL statement, leading to an SQL Injection issue.
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 Handsome Testimonials & Reviews < 2.1.1 takes any authenticated account. 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 Handsome Testimonials & Reviews the fix is 2.1.1: builds < 2.1.1 are affected, anything from 2.1.1 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 2.1.1, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Handsome Testimonials & Reviews: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Handsome Testimonials & Reviews 2.1.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C