CVE-2018-11515

wpForo Forum <= 1.4.12 - SQL Injection

2018-05-27 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 1.4.13
Affected Plugin: wpForo Forum
Affected Version: <= 1.4.12
CVSS: 9.8Critical
Weakness type: CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE: CVE-2018-11515

At a glance

CVE-2018-11515 is a critical-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the wpForo Forum WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.4.12. 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 1.4.13; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2018.

Vulnerability Overview

The wpForo Forum plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Blind SQL Injection via the ‘wpfo’ parameter in versions up to, and including, 1.4.12 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')

wpForo Forum <= 1.4.12 carries this weakness at wpfo, 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 wpForo Forum the fix is 1.4.13: builds <= 1.4.12 are affected, anything from 1.4.13 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 1.4.13, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to wpForo Forum: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: wpForo Forum 1.4.13 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-11515 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/fea6ddd5-f168-471c-99eb-efc46d1bfeb9 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11515

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in wpForo Forum

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

This record contains material that is subject to copyright

CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse

Defiant hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute this software vulnerability information. Any copy of the software vulnerability information you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you include a hyperlink to this vulnerability record and reproduce Defiant's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

https://www.wordfence.com/wordfence-intelligence-terms-and-conditions/