Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 9.0.1
- Affected Plugin
- Title Experiments Free
- Affected Version
< 9.0.1- CVSS
- 9.8Critical
- Weakness type
- CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
- CVE
CVE-2022-0784
At a glance
CVE-2022-0784 is a critical-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the Title Experiments Free WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 9.0.1. 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 9.0.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed March 2022, reported by cydave.
Vulnerability Overview
The Title Experiments Free Plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to blind SQL Injection via the ‘wpex_titles' AJAX action parameter in versions up to, and including, 9.0 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. 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.
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')
Title Experiments Free < 9.0.1 carries this weakness at wpex_titles, 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 Title Experiments Free the fix is 9.0.1: builds < 9.0.1 are affected, anything from 9.0.1 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 9.0.1, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to Title Experiments Free: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: Title Experiments Free 9.0.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in Title Experiments Free
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