CVE-2024-3200 – This SQL injection vulnerability in the wpForo ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-3200?

CVE-2024-3200 has a CVSS score of 9.9 (CRITICAL). This SQL injection vulnerability in the wpForo Forum WordPress plugin allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious SQL queries via the 'slug' parameter in the 'wpforo' shortcode. This can lead to unauthorized data extraction from the WordPress database. All WordPress sites using wpForo Forum version 2.3.3 or earlier are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This SQL injection vulnerability in the wpForo Forum WordPress plugin allows authenticated attackers with contributor-level access or higher to inject malicious SQL queries via the 'slug' parameter in the 'wpforo' shortcode. This can lead to unauthorized data extraction from the WordPress database. All WordPress sites using wpForo Forum version 2.3.3 or earlier are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

wpForo Forum WordPress plugin

Versions: All versions up to and including 2.3.3

Operating Systems: Any OS running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires authenticated user with at least contributor-level permissions. WordPress multisite installations are also affected.

📦 What is this software?

Wpforo Forum by Gvectors

View all CVEs affecting Wpforo Forum →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete database compromise including extraction of sensitive user data, admin credentials, and potential privilege escalation leading to full site takeover.

🟠

Likely Case

Extraction of user data, forum content, and potentially admin credentials if stored in the database.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper input validation and parameterized queries preventing successful injection.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires authenticated access but uses simple SQL injection techniques. The vulnerability is well-documented in security advisories.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2.3.4

Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?old_path=/wpforo/tags/2.3.3&new_path=/wpforo/tags/2.3.4

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find wpForo Forum and click 'Update Now'. 4. Verify version shows 2.3.4 or higher.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable wpForo shortcode

all

Remove or disable the 'wpforo' shortcode usage on your site to prevent exploitation.

Restrict contributor access

all

Temporarily remove contributor-level access from untrusted users until patching is complete.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block SQL injection patterns in the 'slug' parameter
Disable the wpForo plugin entirely until patching is possible

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > wpForo Forum. If version is 2.3.3 or lower, you are vulnerable.

Check Version:

wp plugin list --name=wpforo --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

After updating, verify the plugin version shows 2.3.4 or higher in WordPress admin.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual SQL queries containing wpforo shortcode parameters
Multiple failed login attempts followed by wpforo-related requests

Network Indicators:

POST/GET requests to WordPress containing 'wpforo' shortcode with unusual 'slug' parameter values

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress" AND (uri="*wpforo*" OR post_data="*wpforo*") AND (slug="*' OR *" OR slug="*;*" OR slug="*--*")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-3200

CVSS v3 Score: 9.9 (CRITICAL)

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

CWE: CWE-89

Published: June 1, 2024

Last Updated: February 7, 2025

🔗 References

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