CVE-2018-3810
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2018-3810 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in the Oturia Smart Google Code Inserter WordPress plugin that allows unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary JavaScript or HTML code into all WordPress pages. This affects WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of the plugin, potentially compromising all visitors.
💻 Affected Systems
- Oturia Smart Google Code Inserter WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete site takeover via malicious JavaScript injection leading to credential theft, malware distribution, or defacement of all pages.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious scripts to steal user sessions, redirect to phishing sites, or display unwanted advertisements.
If Mitigated
No impact if plugin is updated or disabled; limited impact if web application firewall blocks malicious payloads.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit requires sending a POST request to the vulnerable endpoint with malicious payload.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 3.5 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-google-code-inserter/#developers
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Smart Google Code Inserter'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available, or delete and reinstall latest version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate smart-google-code-inserter
Block Vulnerable Endpoint
allUse web server or WAF to block requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with sgcgoogleanalytic parameter.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove plugin files from server completely
- Implement strict WAF rules to block JavaScript injection patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins. If version is below 3.5, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get smart-google-code-inserter --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 3.5 or higher and test that unauthenticated POST requests to admin-ajax.php with sgcgoogleanalytic parameter no longer update code.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with sgcgoogleanalytic parameter from unauthenticated users
- Unusual JavaScript code in plugin settings
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST to admin-ajax.php with sgcgoogleanalytic payload
- External script loading from unexpected domains
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND method="POST" AND params="sgcgoogleanalytic" AND user="-"🔗 References
- https://limbenjamin.com/articles/smart-google-code-inserter-auth-bypass.html
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-google-code-inserter/#developers
- https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/8987
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/43420/
- https://limbenjamin.com/articles/smart-google-code-inserter-auth-bypass.html
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-google-code-inserter/#developers
- https://wpvulndb.com/vulnerabilities/8987
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/43420/
