CVE-2023-28788 – This SQL injection vulnerability in the Advance... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-28788?

CVE-2023-28788 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (HIGH). This SQL injection vulnerability in the Advanced Page Visit Counter WordPress plugin allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands on the database. It affects all WordPress sites using this plugin up to version 6.4.2, potentially compromising site data and functionality.

📋 TL;DR

This SQL injection vulnerability in the Advanced Page Visit Counter WordPress plugin allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands on the database. It affects all WordPress sites using this plugin up to version 6.4.2, potentially compromising site data and functionality.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Advanced Page Visit Counter – Most Wanted Analytics Plugin for WordPress

Versions: All versions up to and including 6.4.2

Operating Systems: Any OS running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects all WordPress installations with vulnerable plugin versions enabled.

📦 What is this software?

Advanced Page Visit Counter by Pagevisitcounter

View all CVEs affecting Advanced Page Visit Counter →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete database compromise leading to data theft, data manipulation, privilege escalation, or full site takeover.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized data access, including sensitive user information, and potential site defacement.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper input validation and database permissions, but still poses data integrity risks.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

SQL injection vulnerabilities are typically easy to exploit with automated tools.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 6.4.3 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/advanced-page-visit-counter/wordpress-advanced-page-visit-counter-plugin-6-4-2-sql-injection-vulnerability

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Advanced Page Visit Counter'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download latest version from WordPress repository and manually update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Plugin

all

Temporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched.

wp plugin deactivate advanced-page-visit-counter

Web Application Firewall

all

Implement WAF rules to block SQL injection patterns.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Remove plugin completely from production environment
Implement strict database user permissions with least privilege

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Advanced Page Visit Counter version number.

Check Version:

wp plugin get advanced-page-visit-counter --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm plugin version is 6.4.3 or higher in WordPress admin.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual database queries
Multiple failed login attempts from single IP
Unexpected plugin file modifications

Network Indicators:

SQL syntax in HTTP parameters
Unusual database connection patterns

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress.log" AND "advanced-page-visit-counter" AND ("sql" OR "database" OR "injection")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-28788

CVSS v3 Score: 7.1 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L

CWE: CWE-89

Published: December 20, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2023-28788, you might also want to check these: