CVE-2020-15363
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-15363 is a SQL injection vulnerability in the Nexos WordPress theme that allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the side-map/?search_order= parameter. This affects WordPress sites using Nexos theme version 1.7 and earlier. Attackers can potentially access, modify, or delete database content.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Nexos Real Estate Theme
📦 What is this software?
Nexos by Nexos Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data theft, privilege escalation, website defacement, or full system takeover through SQL injection to RCE chaining.
Likely Case
Database information disclosure, user data theft, and potential administrative access to the WordPress site.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and parameterized queries preventing SQL injection.
🎯 Exploit Status
Public exploit code available. Exploitation requires no authentication and is straightforward via crafted HTTP requests.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown specific version, but theme should be updated to latest version
Vendor Advisory: https://themeforest.net/item/nexos-real-estate-agency-directory/21126242
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Appearance > Themes. 3. Update Nexos theme to latest version. 4. If update unavailable, replace with patched version from theme vendor.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable endpoint via .htaccess
linuxBlock access to the vulnerable side-map endpoint
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^side-map/?$ - [F,L]
Switch to alternative theme
allTemporarily use a different WordPress theme
Navigate to Appearance > Themes in WordPress admin and activate alternative theme
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block SQL injection patterns
- Restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint using network access controls
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress theme version in Appearance > Themes. If Nexos theme version is 1.7 or earlier, site is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check WordPress admin panel or inspect theme files for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify theme has been updated to version after 1.7 or test the side-map endpoint with SQL injection payloads.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in database logs
- HTTP requests to /side-map/ with SQL keywords in parameters
- Multiple failed login attempts following side-map access
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads to side-map endpoint
- Unusual database connection patterns from web server
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri_path="/side-map/" AND (query_string="*search_order=*" AND (query_string="*UNION*" OR query_string="*SELECT*" OR query_string="*INSERT*" OR query_string="*DELETE*"))🔗 References
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158510/WordPress-NexosReal-Estate-Theme-1.7-Cross-Site-Scripting-SQL-Injection.html
- https://github.com/vladvector/vladvector.github.io/blob/master/exploit/2020-06-17-nexos-real-estate-wordpress-theme-v1-7.txt
- https://themeforest.net/item/nexos-real-estate-agency-directory/21126242
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158510/WordPress-NexosReal-Estate-Theme-1.7-Cross-Site-Scripting-SQL-Injection.html
- https://github.com/vladvector/vladvector.github.io/blob/master/exploit/2020-06-17-nexos-real-estate-wordpress-theme-v1-7.txt
- https://themeforest.net/item/nexos-real-estate-agency-directory/21126242
