MailPoet Newsletters <= 2.7.2 - SQL Injection

2016-09-11 00:00
Anonymous

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 2.7.3
Affected Plugin
MailPoet Newsletters (Previous)
Affected Version
<= 2.7.2
CVSS
6.5Medium
Weakness type
CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE
CVE pending
View all MailPoet Newsletters (Previous) vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a medium-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the MailPoet Newsletters (Previous) WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.7.2. It carries a CVSS score of 6.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity). The issue is fixed in version 2.7.3; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2016.

Vulnerability Overview

The MailPoet Newsletters plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to generic SQL Injection in versions up to, and including, 2.7.2 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for 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.

CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')

Reaching this weakness in MailPoet Newsletters (Previous) <= 2.7.2 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 MailPoet Newsletters (Previous) the fix is 2.7.3: builds <= 2.7.2 are affected, anything from 2.7.3 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 2.7.3, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

The attempt arrives as an ordinary request to MailPoet Newsletters (Previous): WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: MailPoet Newsletters (Previous) 2.7.3 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/ca729178-8df0-437e-82cc-70c4975f7b47

Related records

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