CVE-2022-33960 in Social Share Buttons Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/22/2022
Multiple Authenticated (subscriber or higher user role) SQL Injection (SQLi) vulnerabilities in Social Share Buttons by Supsystic plugin <= 2.2.3 at WordPress.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/23/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2022-33960 represents a critical security flaw in the Social Share Buttons by Supsystic WordPress plugin affecting versions up to 2.2.3. This issue falls under the category of SQL injection vulnerabilities that can be exploited by authenticated users with subscriber-level privileges or higher, making it particularly dangerous in environments where user permissions are not strictly enforced. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and improper sanitization of user-supplied data within the plugin's database interaction mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary SQL commands through carefully crafted inputs.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the plugin's handling of user-submitted data that gets processed through SQL queries without adequate protection against malicious input. Attackers with subscriber roles or higher can manipulate various plugin functions to execute unauthorized database operations, potentially leading to data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or complete database compromise. The flaw typically manifests when user inputs are directly incorporated into SQL statements without proper parameterization or escaping mechanisms, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate query execution flow. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws where untrusted data is used in database queries without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as authenticated SQL injection can enable attackers to escalate their privileges within the WordPress environment. A successful exploitation could allow threat actors to modify user accounts, inject malicious code into the database, or even gain administrative access to the WordPress installation. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that many WordPress installations rely on plugin functionality for social media integration, making this vulnerability widespread across numerous websites. Additionally, the vulnerability's accessibility to subscriber-level users means that even relatively low-privilege accounts can be leveraged to cause significant damage, especially in multi-user environments where user permissions are not properly audited.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-33960 should prioritize immediate plugin updates to versions that address the SQL injection flaws, as the vendor has released patches to resolve these issues. System administrators must implement strict input validation and output encoding practices across all plugin components, ensuring that user-supplied data is properly sanitized before any database interactions occur. Network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect unusual database query patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while access controls should be reviewed to ensure that users with minimal required privileges cannot access sensitive plugin functionality. Security hardening measures including the principle of least privilege, regular security audits, and implementation of web application firewalls can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date WordPress plugins and following security best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, which emphasize the critical nature of addressing authenticated vulnerabilities that can be exploited by users with minimal privileges.