CVE-2023-6373: SQL Injection Vulnerability in ArtPlacer Widget WordPress Plugin

Overview

In the realm of cybersecurity, one vulnerability that has recently come to light is the CVE-2023-6373, a significant security flaw found in the ArtPlacer Widget WordPress plugin. This vulnerability affects all versions of this plugin prior to 2.20.7. The issue lies in the plugin’s inability to sanitize and escape the “id” parameter before querying, making it prone to a SQL Injection (SQLI) exploit. This is particularly concerning for website owners and developers using WordPress and the ArtPlacer Widget plugin, as a successful exploit can potentially compromise the entire system or lead to data leakage.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2023-6373
Severity: High (CVSS: 8.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low (exploitable by editors and above)
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

ArtPlacer Widget WordPress Plugin | Before 2.20.7

How the Exploit Works

The exploit takes advantage of the fact that the ArtPlacer Widget WordPress plugin does not properly sanitize and escape the “id” parameter before querying. This allows an attacker to manipulate the SQL query by injecting malicious SQL code. Compounding the problem, there is also a lack of Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) check, which means the vulnerability could be exploited through a CSRF against a logged-in editor or higher.

Conceptual Example Code

A hypothetical exploitation could look something like this:

POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
action=ap_widget_artwork&ap_widget_artwork_id=1 UNION SELECT user_login, user_pass FROM wp_users WHERE ID = 1

This example code sends a HTTP request targeting the WordPress AJAX endpoint. The “id” parameter is exploited with a SQL union-based attack, which could potentially dump the login credentials of the site’s administrative user.

Mitigation Guidance

To effectively mitigate the CVE-2023-6373 vulnerability, users should apply the patch provided by the ArtPlacer Widget plugin vendor as soon as possible. If unable to apply the patch immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary solution. These tools can help detect and block SQL Injection attacks. Furthermore, users are advised to always keep all their WordPress plugins up-to-date to avoid similar vulnerabilities.