Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 8.1.6
- Affected Plugin
- Search Everything
- Affected Version
< 8.1.6- CVSS
- 9.8Critical
- Weakness type
- CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
- CVE
CVE-2016-10917
At a glance
CVE-2016-10917 is a critical-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Search Everything WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 8.1.6. 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 8.1.6; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2016.
Vulnerability Overview
The search-everything plugin before 8.1.6 for WordPress has SQL injection related to empty search strings, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-2316.
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 Search Everything < 8.1.6 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 Search Everything the fix is 8.1.6: builds < 8.1.6 are affected, anything from 8.1.6 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 8.1.6, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Search Everything: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Search Everything 8.1.6 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Same weakness class
Other vulnerabilities in Search Everything
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