CVE-2016-10904 in olimometer Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The olimometer plugin before 2.57 for WordPress has SQL injection.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/26/2023
The olimometer plugin for WordPress suffered from a critical SQL injection vulnerability that affected versions prior to 2.57, representing a significant security flaw in the content management system's ecosystem. This vulnerability allowed attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the WordPress database through malicious input manipulation, potentially compromising the entire website infrastructure. The issue stemmed from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the plugin's codebase, specifically in parameters that were directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper escaping or parameterization.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurred through the manipulation of input fields that the plugin used to process user data or configuration parameters. Attackers could craft malicious SQL payloads that would be executed within the database context, potentially enabling them to extract sensitive information, modify database contents, or even escalate privileges within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 which categorizes SQL injection flaws as weaknesses in software that allows attackers to manipulate database queries through untrusted input. This type of vulnerability represents a fundamental breakdown in input validation practices that violates core security principles for database interaction.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extended beyond simple data theft, as successful exploitation could lead to complete website compromise and potential lateral movement within network environments. WordPress installations using affected versions of the olimometer plugin became vulnerable to unauthorized access, data exfiltration, and potential hosting environment compromise. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors, modify website content, or use the compromised system as a launch point for further attacks against other systems within the organization's infrastructure. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability exploitation under T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application, highlighting the risk of attackers targeting web applications for initial access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of the affected plugin to version 2.57 or later, which implemented proper input validation and SQL query parameterization. System administrators should have also implemented additional security measures including web application firewalls, database query monitoring, and regular security audits of installed plugins. The vulnerability demonstrated the importance of keeping all WordPress components updated and following secure coding practices that prevent SQL injection through proper input sanitization and parameterized queries. Organizations should have also implemented automated vulnerability scanning to identify and remediate similar issues in other installed plugins and themes that might present similar security risks.