CVE-2022-47445
📋 TL;DR
This SQL injection vulnerability in the WordPress Be POPIA Compliant plugin allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands on the database. It affects all WordPress sites using this plugin from any version up to and including 1.2.0. Successful exploitation could lead to data theft, modification, or deletion.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Be POPIA Compliant plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data exfiltration, privilege escalation, remote code execution via database functions, and site takeover.
Likely Case
Unauthorized data access, extraction of sensitive information (user credentials, personal data), and potential data manipulation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation, parameterized queries, and database user privilege restrictions in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
SQL injection vulnerabilities are commonly exploited with automated tools. The Patchstack advisory suggests unauthenticated exploitation is possible.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.2.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/be-popia-compliant/wordpress-be-popia-compliant-plugin-1-2-0-sql-injection?_s_id=cve
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Be POPIA Compliant' and check for updates. 4. Update to version 1.2.1 or later. 5. If no update is available, deactivate and remove the plugin immediately.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
allDeploy a WAF with SQL injection protection rules to block exploitation attempts.
Plugin Deactivation
linuxTemporarily deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate be-popia-compliant
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately deactivate and remove the Be POPIA Compliant plugin from all WordPress installations.
- Implement strict input validation and parameterized queries in custom code, and restrict database user privileges to minimum required.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for 'Be POPIA Compliant' version 1.2.0 or earlier.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name=be-popia-compliant --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin version is 1.2.1 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL error messages in WordPress logs
- Multiple failed SQL query attempts
- Suspicious POST/GET requests to plugin endpoints
Network Indicators:
- SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests (e.g., UNION SELECT, SLEEP(), OR 1=1)
- Unusual database connection spikes
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("SQL syntax" OR "database error" OR "be-popia-compliant")