User Activity Log <= 1.6.2 - Authenticated(Administrator+) SQL Injection via txtsearch
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.6.3
- Affected Plugin
- User Activity Log
- Affected Version
<= 1.6.2- CVSS
- 6.6Medium
- Weakness type
- CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
- CVE
CVE-2023-2761
At a glance
CVE-2023-2761 is a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the User Activity Log WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.6.2. It carries a CVSS score of 6.6 (reachable over the network; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Administrator level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.6.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2023, reported by Ilyase Dehy.
Vulnerability Overview
The User Activity Log plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to generic SQL Injection via the ‘txtsearch’ parameter in versions up to, and including, 1.6.2 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with administrator-level permissions to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.
Technical Analysis
The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, 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')
User Activity Log <= 1.6.2 carries this weakness at txtsearch, and reaching it takes an account at Administrator 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 User Activity Log the fix is 1.6.3: builds <= 1.6.2 are affected, anything from 1.6.3 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.6.3, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Administrator 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: User Activity Log 1.6.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Same weakness class
Other vulnerabilities in User Activity Log
- 7.5CVE-2025-11877: User Activity Log <= 2.2 Limited Options Update
CVE-2025-11877 - 7.5CVE-2023-4269: User Activity Log Data Export to Info Disclosure
CVE-2023-4269 - 7.5CVE-2023-3435: User Activity Log <= 1.6.4 SQL Injection
CVE-2023-3435 - 6.1User Activity Log <= 1.4.6 Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
- 6.1User Activity Log <= 1.4.6 Reflected Cross Site Scripting
- 5.3CVE-2025-13471: User Activity Log Limited Arbitrary Option Update
CVE-2025-13471 - 5.3CVE-2023-4279: User Activity Log <= 1.6.6 IP Address Spoofing
CVE-2023-4279
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