CVE-2023-3435

User Activity Log <= 1.6.4 - Unauthenticated SQL Injection

2023-07-24 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.6.5
Affected Plugin: User Activity Log
Affected Version: <= 1.6.4
CVSS: 7.5High
Weakness type: CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE: CVE-2023-3435

View all User Activity Log vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2023-3435 is a high-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the User Activity Log WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.6.4. It carries a CVSS score of 7.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 1.6.5; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed July 2023, reported by Marc-Alexandre Montpas.

Vulnerability Overview

The User Activity Log plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to SQL Injection in versions up to, and including, 1.6.4 via the ual_export_log() and ual_export_user_log() function that is missing preparation on existing queries as well as escaping on the user input passed to them. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database. This issue was partially patched in 1.6.4, which made it only exploitable by authenticated users, a full patch was released in 1.6.5.

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.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

User Activity Log <= 1.6.4 carries this weakness at ual_export_log(), and reaching it takes no account at all. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.

Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For User Activity Log the fix is 1.6.5: builds <= 1.6.4 are affected, anything from 1.6.5 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.6.5, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

This one needs no account at all, which puts it outside what login hardening can reach; WordSec's login security narrows the account-level paths around it, and the firewall is what inspects the request itself. None of that substitutes for the fix: User Activity Log 1.6.5 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-3435 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/b4ca985e-cae1-4e26-ad2d-413724cfd45d https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-3435

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in User Activity Log

CVSS Vector

7.5

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

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

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