CVE-2022-0769
📋 TL;DR
This SQL injection vulnerability in the Users Ultra WordPress plugin allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands through the rating_vote AJAX action. Both unauthenticated and authenticated users can exploit it, potentially compromising WordPress sites running vulnerable versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Users Ultra WordPress Plugin
📦 What is this software?
Users Ultra by Usersultra
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data theft, privilege escalation, site takeover, or remote code execution via database functions.
Likely Case
Data extraction from WordPress database including user credentials, sensitive content, and configuration data.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation, database permissions, and network segmentation in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple SQL injection via HTTP POST request to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with data_target parameter.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.1.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/05eab45d-ebe9-440f-b9c3-73ec40ef1141
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Users Ultra plugin to version 3.1.1 or later via WordPress admin panel. 2. Verify update completes successfully. 3. Test plugin functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable AJAX endpoint
linuxRemove or restrict access to the rating_vote AJAX action via .htaccess or WordPress hooks
# Add to .htaccess:
<Files "admin-ajax.php">
<IfModule mod_authz_core.c>
Require all denied
</IfModule>
<IfModule !mod_authz_core.c>
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
</IfModule>
</Files>
Temporary plugin deactivation
linuxDisable Users Ultra plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate users-ultra
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) with SQL injection rules
- Restrict network access to WordPress admin interface
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check plugin version in WordPress admin > Plugins page or via wp plugin list commandCheck Version:
wp plugin get users-ultra --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 3.1.1 or later and test rating functionality📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=rating_vote containing SQL syntax in parameters
- Unusual database queries from web server process
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with SQL injection patterns in data_target parameter
- Abnormal response patterns from admin-ajax.php
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND uri="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" AND (data_target CONTAINS "UNION" OR data_target CONTAINS "SELECT" OR data_target CONTAINS "--")