CVE-2023-52135 – This SQL injection vulnerability in WS Form LIT... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-52135?

CVE-2023-52135 has a CVSS score of 7.6 (HIGH). This SQL injection vulnerability in WS Form LITE WordPress plugin allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands through the plugin's form submissions. It affects all WordPress sites using WS Form LITE plugin versions up to 1.9.170. Attackers could potentially access, modify, or delete database content.

📋 TL;DR

This SQL injection vulnerability in WS Form LITE WordPress plugin allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands through the plugin's form submissions. It affects all WordPress sites using WS Form LITE plugin versions up to 1.9.170. Attackers could potentially access, modify, or delete database content.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

WS Form LITE – Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder for WordPress

Versions: All versions up to and including 1.9.170

Operating Systems: All operating systems running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects all WordPress installations using vulnerable plugin versions regardless of configuration.

📦 What is this software?

Ws Form by Westguardsolutions

View all CVEs affecting Ws Form →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete database compromise including sensitive data exfiltration, privilege escalation, and full site takeover via WordPress admin access.

🟠

Likely Case

Data theft from WordPress database including user credentials, personal information, and site content.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper input validation and database permissions, potentially only read access to non-sensitive data.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: LOW

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

SQL injection vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins are commonly exploited. No public PoC found but exploitation is straightforward.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 1.9.171 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/ws-form/wordpress-ws-form-lite-drag-drop-contact-form-builder-for-wordpress-plugin-1-9-170-sql-injection-vulnerability

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find WS Form LITE plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download latest version from WordPress repository and manually update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable vulnerable plugin

all

Temporarily disable WS Form LITE plugin until patched

wp plugin deactivate ws-form

Web Application Firewall rules

all

Implement WAF rules to block SQL injection patterns targeting WS Form endpoints

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict input validation and parameterized queries in custom code
Restrict database user permissions to minimum required access

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for WS Form LITE version

Check Version:

wp plugin get ws-form --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify plugin version is 1.9.171 or higher in WordPress admin

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual SQL queries in database logs
Multiple failed login attempts from form submissions
Unexpected database errors in WordPress debug logs

Network Indicators:

POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with SQL patterns
Unusual traffic to form submission endpoints

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress.logs" AND ("ws-form" OR "admin-ajax.php") AND (sql OR union OR select)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-52135

CVSS v3 Score: 7.6 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-89

Published: December 29, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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