If you’re running a website based on WordPress and using the Couponis - Affiliate & Submitting Coupons theme by Spoonthemes, you should pay close attention to a serious security flaw discovered in this theme—CVE-2023-49750. This vulnerability comes from improper filtering of user input, letting attackers inject malicious SQL commands. Below, we’ll cover what the issue is, how it works, how attackers could exploit it, and what you need to do to stay safe.

What is CVE-2023-49750?

CVE-2023-49750 is an SQL Injection vulnerability in the Couponis - Affiliate & Submitting Coupons WordPress Theme (any version before 2.2 is affected). This means attackers can add SQL commands into legitimate database queries, allowing them to steal, delete, or change database content.

Official Reference:
- NVD – CVE-2023-49750
- WP-Scan Report

Technical Details: How Does the SQL Injection Happen?

This vulnerability is caused by the theme’s failure to properly escape or clean up special characters in user-supplied input—like form fields in coupon submission or affiliate links. When this unchecked input is used directly in SQL queries, an attacker can input malicious code.

Let’s look at what a vulnerable piece of code might look like

// BAD EXAMPLE: Vulnerable to SQL Injection
$keyword = $_GET['keyword']; // No sanitization!
$query = "SELECT * FROM coupons WHERE title LIKE '%$keyword%'";
$result = $wpdb->get_results($query);

If an attacker sets keyword to ' OR 1=1;--, the query becomes

SELECT * FROM coupons WHERE title LIKE '%' OR 1=1;--%'

This will return all coupons, ignoring restrictions. Worse, an attacker could read or change sensitive data if the query is more critical.

Intercept or view the result.

If the site is vulnerable, the attacker now sees usernames and hashed passwords from the WordPress users table.

Assuming there is a search function accessed via


https://example.com/?keyword=[input]

A crafted malicious URL would look like

https://example.com/?keyword='; UNION SELECT user_login,user_pass FROM wp_users;--

If the results are printed anywhere (even as hidden fields or debugging output), the attacker gains valuable information.

*Corrupt or erase data*: delete coupons, users, or anything else in the database.

- *Control your website*: by extracting or changing admin credentials, especially if other vulnerabilities are present.

1. Update the Theme Immediately

Patch available! Upgrade to version 2.2 or later. Download from your official theme provider.

2. Sanitize All User Inputs

If you are developing custom code or plugins, always clean and prepare user data before using it in SQL. Use WordPress’s built-in prepared statements:

// GOOD EXAMPLE: Safe from SQL Injection
$keyword = $_GET['keyword'];
$query = $wpdb->prepare("SELECT * FROM coupons WHERE title LIKE %s", '%'.$wpdb->esc_like($keyword).'%');
$result = $wpdb->get_results($query);

3. Monitor Your Website

Look for unexpected database activity or strange user logins.

4. Use Security Plugins

Consider using plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri to catch and block malicious attempts.

Further Information and References

- Official CVE Report - NIST NVD
- WPScan Vulnerability Database Entry
- How to Protect WordPress from SQL Injection

Final Thoughts

CVE-2023-49750 is a critical SQL injection security bug that affects thousands of WordPress sites using the Couponis theme before version 2.2. The solution is simple: update your theme and make sure to handle all user input safely. Don’t give attackers a free ticket to your database—patch now and stay secure!


If you find this article helpful, please share it to warn others who may be at risk. For further questions or technical help, consult your theme’s support or a qualified WordPress security specialist.

Timeline

Published on: 12/19/2023 21:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 12/22/2023 12:14:32 UTC