CVE-2015-1000003
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to perform blind SQL injection attacks through the filedownload v1.4 WordPress plugin. Attackers can extract database information, modify data, or potentially gain administrative access to affected WordPress sites. Any WordPress site using the vulnerable plugin version is affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress filedownload plugin
📦 What is this software?
Filedownload by Filedownload Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the WordPress database, including extraction of sensitive user data, administrative credential theft, and full site takeover.
Likely Case
Data exfiltration from the WordPress database, including user information, posts, and potentially authentication credentials.
If Mitigated
Limited information disclosure if database permissions are properly restricted and input validation is enforced elsewhere.
🎯 Exploit Status
Blind SQL injection requires more requests than traditional SQLi but automated tools exist.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: v1.5 or later
Vendor Advisory: http://www.vapidlabs.com/advisory.php?v=140
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Locate filedownload plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. If no update, deactivate and delete plugin, then install latest version from WordPress repository.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Immediate Plugin Deactivation
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin to prevent exploitation
wp plugin deactivate filedownload
Web Application Firewall Rule
linuxBlock SQL injection patterns targeting filedownload endpoints
ModSecurity rule: SecRule ARGS "(?i:(union|select|insert|update|delete|drop|alter).*?)" "id:1000003,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'CVE-2015-1000003 filedownload SQLi attempt'
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove filedownload plugin completely and use alternative file download solutions
- Implement strict input validation and parameterized queries in custom code
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Installed Plugins for filedownload v1.4Check Version:
wp plugin list --name=filedownload --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is v1.5 or later in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- SQL syntax errors in WordPress debug logs
- Unusual database queries from web server process
- Multiple failed requests to filedownload endpoints
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing SQL keywords to /wp-content/plugins/filedownload/
- Unusual outbound database connections from web server
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND (uri="*filedownload*" AND (query="*union*" OR query="*select*" OR query="*insert*"))