A critical security vulnerability has been discovered in the widely used WordPress plugin, "Avirtum iPages Flipbook." This vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-47236, impacts versions up to and including 1.4.8. The issue stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command, which leads to an SQL Injection vulnerability. This post will provide an in-depth analysis of the vulnerability, code snippets showcasing the problematic code, links to original references, and the exploit details, all while using simple American English.

Vulnerability Details

The Avirtum iPages Flipbook for WordPress is a plugin designed to create and manage flipbooks for your website. The vulnerability in question is an SQL Injection, which allows an attacker to execute arbitrary SQL queries on the database related to the plugin, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data leakage, or even full website takeover, depending on the configuration and setup of the target WordPress site.

Exploit

An attacker needs to craft a malicious SQL query and send it as a parameter to the vulnerable endpoint, typically by manipulating the HTTP POST or GET request. This is commonly done by using tools such as Burp Suite or sqlmap. A successful exploitation of this vulnerability has the potential to cause significant harm to the affected WordPress site, its users, and any associated businesses.

Code Snippet

The vulnerability primarily results from the lack of proper input validation and use of unsanitized data in the SQL queries related to the Avirtum iPages Flipbook plugin. Here is a code snippet showing the vulnerable code:

function getBookByID($id) {
    global $wpdb;
    $table_name = $wpdb->prefix . 'avirtum_iPages_flipbooks';
    $sql = "SELECT * FROM " . $table_name . " WHERE id=" . $id;
    return $wpdb->get_results($sql);
}

In this example, the $id parameter is directly concatenated into the SQL query without any input validation or sanitization. This allows an attacker to insert malicious SQL code as part of the $id parameter, causing the query to execute undesired commands on the backend database.

Mitigation

The developers of Avirtum iPages Flipbook need to implement proper input validation and sanitization to avoid this issue. One possible solution is to use prepared statements instead of directly concatenating user-supplied input into SQL queries. Here's an example of a revised version of the function using prepared statements:

function getBookByID($id) {
    global $wpdb;
    $table_name = $wpdb->prefix . 'avirtum_iPages_flipbooks';
    $sql = $wpdb->prepare("SELECT * FROM " . $table_name . " WHERE id = %d", $id);
    return $wpdb->get_results($sql);
}

The use of the $wpdb->prepare() function ensures that the user input is properly escaped before it is used in the SQL query. This prevents the possibility of an SQL Injection attack under normal circumstances.

For more information on this vulnerability, please consult the following sources

1. CVE-2023-47236 Detail - National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2. WordPress Plugin Avirtum iPages Flipbook - SQL injection
3. How to prevent SQL injection in WordPress

Conclusion

The improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command vulnerability in the Avirtum iPages Flipbook for WordPress (CVE-2023-47236) is a serious security risk for affected WordPress sites. It is crucial for the developers to address this issue as soon as possible and for site administrators to update their plugin to a secure version once it becomes available. In the meantime, administrators can monitor suspicious activity on their site related to this vulnerability and consider implementing web application firewalls (WAF) for added security.

Timeline

Published on: 12/20/2023 14:15:20 UTC
Last modified on: 12/28/2023 20:07:16 UTC