CVE-2018-5372 in Testimonial Slider Plugin
Summary
by MITRE
The Testimonial Slider plugin through 1.2.4 for WordPress has SQL Injection via settings\sliders.php (current_slider_id parameter).
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/23/2019
The CVE-2018-5372 vulnerability represents a critical sql injection flaw within the Testimonial Slider plugin for WordPress, affecting versions through 1.2.4. This vulnerability specifically resides in the settings\sliders.php file where the current_slider_id parameter is improperly sanitized before being incorporated into database queries. The flaw allows authenticated attackers with sufficient privileges to execute arbitrary sql commands against the underlying database, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic input validation failure where user-supplied data flows directly into sql execution contexts without proper sanitization or parameterization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation practices within the plugin's backend processing logic. When the current_slider_id parameter is submitted through the web interface, it bypasses proper sanitization measures that should validate or escape the input before being used in sql queries. This creates an exploitable condition where malicious actors can inject sql payloads that manipulate the database directly. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authenticated access to the wordpress administrative interface, making it accessible to users with contributor or administrator roles who can modify plugin settings. This weakness aligns with CWE-89, which categorizes sql injection as a fundamental flaw in software security design.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or modification. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to extract sensitive information including user credentials, plugin configurations, and other database contents. The compromised system may face data integrity issues, unauthorized access to user accounts, and potential lateral movement within the network if the wordpress installation shares database credentials with other applications. Attackers could also leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors or deploy additional malware. The vulnerability's exploitation aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including credential access through database exploitation and privilege escalation by leveraging existing administrative privileges to gain deeper system control.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-5372 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to version 1.2.5 or later, which contains the necessary sql injection防护 measures. System administrators should also implement proper input validation controls, including parameterized queries and proper escaping of user inputs before database processing. Network segmentation and privileged access controls can limit the potential impact of successful exploitation by reducing the scope of access an attacker could achieve. Regular security audits of wordpress plugins and themes remain essential for identifying similar vulnerabilities, while implementing web application firewalls can provide additional protection layers against sql injection attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining updated wordpress core and plugin installations as a fundamental security practice to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.