Strategic Overview
- Status
- Unpatched
- Affected Plugin
- SEO SearchTerms Tagging 2
- Affected Version
<= 1.535- CVSS
- 7.2High
- Weakness type
- CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
- CVE
CVE-2015-9458
At a glance
CVE-2015-9458 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the SEO SearchTerms Tagging 2 WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.535. It carries a CVSS score of 7.2 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). No fixed release has been reported yet; treat installations running this software as exposed. Disclosed July 2015, reported by Marcin Probola.
Vulnerability Overview
The searchterms-tagging-2 plugin through 1.535 for WordPress has SQL injection via the pk_stt2_db_get_popular_terms count parameter exploitable via CSRF.
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 SEO SearchTerms Tagging 2 <= 1.535 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. No fixed build of this plugin is recorded for SEO SearchTerms Tagging 2 yet, so installs running <= 1.535 stay exposed until the vendor ships one.
Remediation
No known patch available. Please review the vulnerability's details in depth and employ mitigations based on your organization's risk tolerance. It may be best to uninstall the affected software and find a replacement.
How does WordSec protect against this?
The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to SEO SearchTerms Tagging 2: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. No patched version is recorded yet, which is the case where a filtering layer matters most, because there is nothing to update to.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in SEO SearchTerms Tagging 2
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