CVE-2021-24747

SEO Booster <= 3.7 - Admin+ SQL Injection

2021-11-15 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.8
Affected Plugin: SEO Booster
Affected Version: <= 3.7
CVSS: 7.2High
Weakness type: CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE: CVE-2021-24747

At a glance

CVE-2021-24747 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the SEO Booster WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 3.7. It carries a CVSS score of 7.2 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). The issue is fixed in version 3.8; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2021, reported by bl4derunner.

Vulnerability Overview

The SEO Booster WordPress plugin before 3.8 allows for authenticated SQL injection via the "fn_my_ajaxified_dataloader_ajax" AJAX request as the $_REQUEST['order'][0]['dir'] parameter is not properly escaped leading to blind and error-based SQL injections.

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')

SEO Booster <= 3.7 carries this weakness at fn_my_ajaxified_dataloader_ajax, and reaching it 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 SEO Booster the fix is 3.8: builds <= 3.7 are affected, anything from 3.8 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.8, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to SEO Booster: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: SEO Booster 3.8 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-24747 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/a7adba0a-2f3b-43d8-b00a-8521dd0c6a2d https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-24747

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in SEO Booster

CVSS Vector

7.2

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredHigh
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

This record contains material that is subject to copyright

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse

Defiant hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute this software vulnerability information. Any copy of the software vulnerability information you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you include a hyperlink to this vulnerability record and reproduce Defiant's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.wordfence.com/wordfence-intelligence-terms-and-conditions/