CVE-2016-11000
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows SQL injection attacks through the export_type_name parameter in the WP Ultimate Exporter WordPress plugin. Attackers can execute arbitrary SQL commands on affected WordPress sites, potentially compromising database integrity and confidentiality. All WordPress installations using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress WP Ultimate Exporter Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Ultimate Exporter by Smackcoders
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise allowing data theft, modification, or deletion; potential privilege escalation to WordPress administrator; possible remote code execution through database functions.
Likely Case
Data exfiltration from WordPress database including user credentials, sensitive content, and configuration data; potential site defacement or content manipulation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and parameterized queries; database access restricted to plugin's intended functionality.
🎯 Exploit Status
SQL injection via GET/POST parameter requires minimal technical skill; exploit tools likely exist in penetration testing frameworks.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-ultimate-exporter/#developers
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Find WP Ultimate Exporter
4. Click 'Update Now' if available
5. If no update available, deactivate and delete plugin
6. Install latest version from WordPress repository
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allDeactivate the vulnerable plugin to prevent exploitation
wp plugin deactivate wp-ultimate-exporter
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock requests containing SQL injection patterns targeting export_type_name parameter
ModSecurity rule: SecRule ARGS:export_type_name "@detectSQLi" "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403"
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation for export_type_name parameter
- Apply network segmentation to isolate WordPress instance from critical databases
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for WP Ultimate Exporter version 1.1 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin get wp-ultimate-exporter --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 1.2 or later in WordPress admin panel📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL errors in WordPress logs
- Multiple requests to plugin export endpoints with suspicious parameters
- Database connection errors from unexpected sources
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing SQL keywords in export_type_name parameter
- Unusual database traffic from web server
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("export_type_name" AND ("UNION" OR "SELECT" OR "INSERT" OR "DELETE"))