CVE-2012-5328 in Mingle-forum
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in the Mingle Forum plugin 1.0.32.1 and other versions before 1.0.33 for WordPress might allow remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the (1) memberid or (2) groupid parameters in a removemember action or (3) id parameter to fs-admin/fs-admin.php, or (4) edit_forum_id parameter in an edit_save_forum action to fs-admin/wpf-edit-forum-group.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2019
The CVE-2012-5328 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the Mingle Forum plugin for WordPress, affecting versions prior to 1.0.33. This vulnerability falls under the category of SQL injection attacks as classified by CWE-89, where malicious actors can manipulate database queries through improperly validated input parameters. The vulnerability specifically targets authenticated users who possess sufficient privileges to access the forum administration interfaces, making it particularly dangerous as it leverages legitimate user permissions to execute unauthorized database operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through multiple parameter injection points within the plugin's administrative components. Attackers can exploit the memberid and groupid parameters within the removemember action functionality to inject malicious SQL commands that bypass normal input validation mechanisms. Additionally, the id parameter in the fs-admin/fs-admin.php file and the edit_forum_id parameter in the fs-admin/wpf-edit-forum-group.php file present similar attack vectors. These parameters are directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate the underlying database structure and potentially extract sensitive information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it allows for complete database compromise through authenticated SQL injection attacks. An attacker with valid user credentials can escalate privileges and execute arbitrary SQL commands that may include data extraction, modification, or deletion operations. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation and T1213.002 for data from information repositories, as it enables unauthorized access to the forum's database content and user information stored within the WordPress environment. The authenticated nature of the attack means that attackers do not require administrative privileges to exploit this vulnerability, as they can leverage legitimate user accounts to perform malicious operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate plugin updates to version 1.0.33 or later, which contain proper input validation and parameterization fixes. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces and enforce strict access controls for forum management functions. The implementation of prepared statements and parameterized queries should be enforced throughout the plugin codebase to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging. Additionally, regular security audits of WordPress plugins should be conducted to identify and remediate potential SQL injection vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in production environments. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual database query patterns and unauthorized administrative access attempts to identify potential exploitation of this vulnerability.