CVE-2023-6967
📋 TL;DR
This SQL injection vulnerability in the Pods WordPress plugin allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious SQL queries through shortcode parameters. Attackers can extract sensitive information from the database, including user credentials and other confidential data. All WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of the Pods plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Pods - Custom Content Types and Fields WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
Pods by Podsfoundation
Pods by Podsfoundation
Pods by Podsfoundation
Pods by Podsfoundation
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to credential theft, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, and potential site takeover.
Likely Case
Extraction of sensitive user data, configuration information, and potentially administrator credentials from the database.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation, database permissions, and monitoring in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is straightforward once authenticated. Public proof-of-concept code is available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.0.11 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pods/trunk/classes/PodsView.php#L750
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Pods plugin and click 'Update Now'. 4. Alternatively, download version 3.0.11+ from WordPress.org and manually replace files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Pods shortcode functionality
allRemove or disable Pods shortcode usage to prevent exploitation vector
Remove [pods] shortcodes from posts/pages/widgets
Restrict contributor access
allTemporarily limit contributor-level users from accessing or creating content
Use WordPress role management plugins to restrict capabilities
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block SQL injection patterns
- Enable database query logging and monitoring for suspicious SQL patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin > Plugins > Installed Plugins for Pods version. If version is 3.0.10 or earlier (except 2.7.31.2, 2.8.23.2, 2.9.19.2), you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin list --name=pods --field=version (if WP-CLI installed)Verify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify Pods plugin version shows 3.0.11 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual database queries from WordPress processes
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by SQL errors
- Database queries containing Pods-related parameters
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to WordPress with SQL injection patterns in parameters
- Unusual database connection patterns from web server
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("pods" AND ("sql" OR "database" OR "query")) AND (status=500 OR message="SQL syntax")🔗 References
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pods/trunk/classes/PodsView.php#L750
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&new=3039486%40pods%2Ftrunk&old=3039467%40pods%2Ftrunk&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/1aa7d0c2-27ec-47ad-8baa-c281c273078e?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pods/trunk/classes/PodsView.php#L750
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&new=3039486%40pods%2Ftrunk&old=3039467%40pods%2Ftrunk&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/1aa7d0c2-27ec-47ad-8baa-c281c273078e?source=cve
