CVE-2017-20099
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on WordPress sites running the vulnerable Analytics Stats Counter Statistics Plugin. Attackers can inject malicious code through unspecified input processing, potentially taking full control of affected websites. All WordPress installations using this plugin version are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- Analytics Stats Counter Statistics Plugin for WordPress
📦 What is this software?
Analytics Stats Counter Statistics by Analytics Stats Counter Statistics Project
View all CVEs affecting Analytics Stats Counter Statistics →
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the WordPress site with attacker gaining administrative privileges, installing backdoors, stealing sensitive data, and using the server for further attacks.
Likely Case
Website defacement, malware injection, credential theft, and unauthorized access to site content and databases.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper web application firewalls and input validation, potentially blocking the injection attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Remote code injection vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins are frequently exploited in the wild.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Update to latest version or remove plugin
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/analytics-stats-counter-statistics/
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Find Analytics Stats Counter Statistics Plugin
4. Click 'Update Now' if available
5. If no update, deactivate and delete the plugin
6. Consider alternative analytics plugins
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Immediate Plugin Deactivation
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin to prevent exploitation
wp plugin deactivate analytics-stats-counter-statistics
Web Application Firewall Rule
allBlock suspicious requests targeting the plugin
Add WAF rule to block requests containing suspicious patterns targeting /wp-content/plugins/analytics-stats-counter-statistics/
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all plugin inputs
- Deploy web application firewall with specific rules for this plugin
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for 'Analytics Stats Counter Statistics' version 1.2.2.5Check Version:
wp plugin get analytics-stats-counter-statistics --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin is either updated to newer version or completely removed from plugins directory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to plugin files
- PHP code execution attempts in web server logs
- Unauthorized file modifications in wp-content/plugins/analytics-stats-counter-statistics/
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing suspicious payloads targeting the plugin endpoint
- Unexpected outbound connections from web server
SIEM Query:
source="web_server_logs" AND (uri="*analytics-stats-counter-statistics*" AND (method="POST" OR status="200"))