CVE-2022-38074

WP Statistics <= 13.2.10 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) SQL Injection

2023-01-31 00:00
Rafie Muhammad

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 13.2.11
Affected Plugin
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative
Affected Version
<= 13.2.10
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE
CVE-2022-38074
View all WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2022-38074 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the WP Statistics WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 13.2.10. 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 Subscriber level or above. The issue is fixed in version 13.2.11; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed January 2023, reported by Rafie Muhammad.

Vulnerability Overview

The WP Statistics plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to SQL Injection via the ‘limit’ parameter in versions up to, and including, 13.2.10 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for subscriber-level 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 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')

WP Statistics <= 13.2.10 carries this weakness at limit, and reaching it takes an account at Subscriber 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 WP Statistics the fix is 13.2.11: builds <= 13.2.10 are affected, anything from 13.2.11 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 13.2.11, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Subscriber 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: WP Statistics 13.2.11 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-38074https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/7638fd24-d376-4b5b-98bb-4a40ada6a4dahttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38074

Related records

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