CVE-2021-36880

Listing, Classified Ads & Business Directory – uListing <= 2.0.3 - Unauthenticated SQL Injection

2021-07-26 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 2.0.4
Affected Plugin: Directory Listings WordPress plugin – uListing
Affected Version: <= 2.0.3
CVSS: 9.8Critical
Weakness type: CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE: CVE-2021-36880

View all Directory Listings WordPress plugin – uListing vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2021-36880 is a critical-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Directory Listings WordPress plugin WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.0.3. 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 2.0.4; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2021, reported by R3N0.

Vulnerability Overview

Unauthenticated SQL Injection (SQLi) vulnerability in WordPress uListing plugin (versions <= 2.0.3), vulnerable parameter: custom.

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 Directory Listings WordPress plugin <= 2.0.3 takes no account at all. 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 Directory Listings WordPress plugin the fix is 2.0.4: builds <= 2.0.3 are affected, anything from 2.0.4 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.0.4, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Directory Listings WordPress plugin 2.0.4 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-36880 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/87d153df-93b0-40a3-b119-9fad41fbd0ee https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36880

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in Directory Listings WordPress plugin – uListing

CVSS Vector

9.8

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

Base

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

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