CVE-2023-35915
📋 TL;DR
This SQL injection vulnerability in WooPayments allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands on WordPress sites using vulnerable versions. It affects all WordPress installations with WooPayments plugin versions up to 5.9.0. Successful exploitation could lead to data theft, modification, or deletion.
💻 Affected Systems
- WooPayments – Fully Integrated Solution Built and Supported by Woo
📦 What is this software?
Woopayments by Automattic
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise including sensitive payment data, user information, and administrative takeover of the WordPress site.
Likely Case
Data exfiltration of customer information, payment details, and potential privilege escalation within the WordPress environment.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper input validation and parameterized queries are implemented, with database permissions restricted.
🎯 Exploit Status
SQL injection vulnerabilities are commonly exploited. While no public PoC is confirmed, exploitation is straightforward for attackers familiar with SQL injection techniques.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.9.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/woocommerce-payments/wordpress-woocommerce-payments-plugin-5-9-0-sql-injection-vulnerability
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find WooPayments plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. Alternatively, download latest version from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Temporary Plugin Deactivation
allDisable WooPayments plugin until patched to prevent exploitation
wp plugin deactivate woocommerce-payments
Web Application Firewall Rules
allImplement WAF rules to block SQL injection patterns targeting WooPayments endpoints
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation and parameterized queries in custom code
- Restrict database user permissions to minimum required operations
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WooPayments plugin version in WordPress admin panel under Plugins → Installed PluginsCheck Version:
wp plugin get woocommerce-payments --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm WooPayments plugin version is 5.9.1 or higher after update📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in database logs
- Multiple failed login attempts or SQL errors in WordPress logs
- Unexpected database connections from web server
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests with SQL injection patterns to WooPayments endpoints
- Unusual outbound database connections from web server
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("SQL syntax" OR "database error" OR "woocommerce-payments")