CVE-2016-20072 in BBS e-Franchise
Summary
by MITRE • 06/15/2026
BBS e-Franchise 1.1.1 plugin for WordPress contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the uid parameter. Attackers can craft requests to pages using the plugin's shortcode with UNION-based SQL injection in the uid parameter to extract sensitive data from the WordPress database including user information and taxonomy terms.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/05/2026
The BBS e-Franchise 1.1.1 WordPress plugin presents a critical SQL injection vulnerability that fundamentally compromises database security for affected installations. This flaw exists within the plugin's handling of the uid parameter through its shortcode functionality, creating an attack vector that requires no authentication credentials from malicious actors. The vulnerability operates through UNION-based SQL injection techniques, allowing attackers to manipulate database queries by injecting malicious payloads directly into the uid parameter. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-89 which specifically addresses improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands, making it a direct implementation of insecure database query construction practices. The attack surface extends across all pages utilizing the plugin's shortcode functionality, providing adversaries with widespread access to potentially sensitive information.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability enables attackers to perform unauthorized data extraction from the WordPress database infrastructure. Through carefully crafted UNION-based queries, malicious actors can retrieve user credentials including usernames, email addresses, and potentially hashed passwords from the WordPress users table. Additionally, the vulnerability permits extraction of taxonomy terms which may contain sensitive metadata about site structure, content organization, or business-related categorizations. The injection occurs at the database level where user-supplied input flows directly into SQL command construction without proper sanitization or parameterization. This represents a classic case of inadequate input validation and output encoding practices that violate fundamental secure coding principles. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data theft as it provides attackers with information that could facilitate further attacks including credential stuffing, privilege escalation, or social engineering campaigns.
Operational consequences of this vulnerability pose significant risks to WordPress site administrators and their users. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that any visitor to a compromised website can potentially execute malicious database queries without requiring prior access credentials. This creates an immediate threat to data confidentiality and integrity as attackers can systematically extract information from the database through repeated injection attempts. The extracted data may include not only user account information but also internal site structures, plugin configurations, or other sensitive operational details that could be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques such as T1213.002 (Data from Information Repositories) and T1566.001 (Phishing with Social Engineering) as attackers can use the extracted data to craft targeted social engineering campaigns or establish persistence through compromised user accounts.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action from affected site administrators. The most effective approach involves updating to a patched version of the BBS e-Franchise plugin where the uid parameter validation has been properly implemented with input sanitization and parameterized queries. Until such updates are available, administrators should implement temporary network-level protections including firewall rules that restrict access to plugin endpoints or implement web application firewalls that can detect and block SQL injection patterns in incoming requests. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation practices where all user-supplied data must be treated as potentially malicious and properly escaped or parameterized before database interaction. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual database query patterns or unauthorized access attempts that may indicate exploitation attempts, with alerting mechanisms configured to notify administrators of suspicious activity. Additionally, regular security audits of WordPress installations should include scanning for known vulnerable plugins and ensuring that all third-party components are kept current with security patches. Organizations should also consider implementing database-level security measures such as restricted user permissions and query logging to minimize the impact of potential exploitation attempts.