Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.9.6
- Affected Plugin
- Rich Reviews by Starfish
- Affected Version
< 1.9.6- CVSS
- 8.8High
- Weakness type
- CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
- CVE
CVE-2021-24753
At a glance
CVE-2021-24753 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Rich Reviews by Starfish WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 1.9.6. 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 1.9.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2021, reported by bl4derunner.
Vulnerability Overview
The Rich Reviews by Starfish WordPress plugin before 1.9.6 does not properly validate the orderby GET parameter of the pending reviews page before using it in a SQL statement, leading to an authenticated 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 Rich Reviews by Starfish < 1.9.6 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 Rich Reviews by Starfish the fix is 1.9.6: builds < 1.9.6 are affected, anything from 1.9.6 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.9.6, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Rich Reviews by Starfish: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Rich Reviews by Starfish 1.9.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Rich Reviews by Starfish
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