CVE-2024-6497

SEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO <= 12.3.19 - Authenticated (Contributor+) SQL Injection via url Parameter

2024-07-19 20:19
bart

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 12.3.20
Affected Plugin
GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO
Affected Version
<= 12.3.19
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE
CVE-2024-6497
View all GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-6497 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 12.3.19. 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 at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 12.3.20; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2024, reported by bart.

Vulnerability Overview

The SEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the ‘url’ parameter in all versions up to, and including, 12.3.19 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page. CVE-2024-43286 appears to be a duplicate of this 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')

GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO <= 12.3.19 carries this weakness at url, and reaching it takes an account at Contributor level or above. 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 GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO the fix is 12.3.20: builds <= 12.3.19 are affected, anything from 12.3.20 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 12.3.20, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Contributor access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO 12.3.20 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-6497https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/bb3aa613-8f34-4d96-8ddf-41fcdcf65c59https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-6497

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C