CVE-2023-44989
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the CF7 Google Sheets Connector WordPress plugin allows sensitive information to be written to debug log files. Attackers can potentially access credentials, API keys, or form submission data stored in these logs. All WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- CF7 Google Sheets Connector WordPress plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers gain access to WordPress admin credentials, Google API keys, or sensitive form submission data, leading to complete site compromise, data theft, or unauthorized Google Sheets access.
Likely Case
Exposure of API keys or form data containing PII, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized Google Sheets modifications, or credential harvesting.
If Mitigated
Limited exposure of non-critical debug information with proper log file permissions and monitoring in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation depends on log file accessibility and whether sensitive data was actually logged.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 5.0.6 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'CF7 Google Sheets Connector'. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. Alternatively, download version 5.0.6+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable debug logging
allTurn off WordPress debug logging to prevent sensitive data from being written to logs.
Edit wp-config.php and set: define('WP_DEBUG', false); define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', false);
Secure log file permissions
linuxRestrict access to WordPress debug.log and other log files.
chmod 600 wp-content/debug.log
chown www-data:www-data wp-content/debug.log
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable the CF7 Google Sheets Connector plugin entirely until patched
- Implement strict file permissions on WordPress directories and monitor for unauthorized log file access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → CF7 Google Sheets Connector → Version. If version is 5.0.5 or lower, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name='cf7-google-sheets-connector' --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify plugin version shows 5.0.6 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized access to debug.log files
- Log entries containing API keys, credentials, or sensitive form data
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to debug.log or other log file paths
- Unusual access patterns to WordPress wp-content directory
SIEM Query:
source="*access.log*" AND (uri="*debug.log*" OR uri="*.log" AND status=200)🔗 References
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/cf7-google-sheets-connector/wordpress-cf7-google-sheets-connector-plugin-5-0-5-sensitive-data-exposure-via-debug-log-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/cf7-google-sheets-connector/wordpress-cf7-google-sheets-connector-plugin-5-0-5-sensitive-data-exposure-via-debug-log-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
