CVE-2017-20247: SQL Injection in PICA Photo Gallery 1.0

Technical summary

CVE-2017-20247 is a classic SQL injection vulnerability (CWE-89) in PICA Photo Gallery 1.0. The plugin fails to sanitize or parameterize the 'aid' parameter, allowing unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary SQL syntax through the query string. The vulnerability permits both data exfiltration and potential database manipulation. With a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.2 (HIGH), the attack requires no authentication or user interaction and can be conducted over the network, though the impact on database integrity is limited compared to confidentiality exposure.

Business impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability could result in unauthorized access to WordPress user accounts, including administrative credentials, which enables account takeover and complete site compromise. Attackers may also extract customer data, post content, or private information stored in the database. In regulated industries, such breaches trigger notification requirements and reputational damage. The ease of exploitation—simple HTTP GET requests—means this vulnerability is particularly dangerous if left unpatched across multiple installations.

Affected systems

PICA Photo Gallery plugin version 1.0 for WordPress is the confirmed vulnerable version. Organizations using this plugin should assume all 1.0 installations are affected. Verify your deployment by checking the plugin version in the WordPress admin panel under Plugins. No evidence of patched versions has been provided; verify the latest available version against the official plugin repository or vendor advisory to confirm remediation.

Exploitability

This vulnerability is highly exploitable. An attacker needs only network access and the ability to craft a malicious URL containing SQL injection payloads in the 'aid' parameter. No authentication, credentials, or user interaction is required. Attack complexity is low, and the attack surface is large for any WordPress site publicly running the vulnerable plugin. Automated scanning tools and publicly available SQL injection techniques can be readily adapted for this vulnerability.

Remediation

Immediately deactivate and remove PICA Photo Gallery 1.0 from all affected WordPress installations. Check the plugin's official repository or vendor documentation for an available security patch or updated version. If a patched version exists, update to it after testing in a staging environment. As an interim measure before patching is available, use WordPress security plugins or Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block suspicious 'aid' parameter values containing SQL keywords or syntax characters.

Patch guidance

Verify the latest version of PICA Photo Gallery against the official WordPress plugin repository or the vendor's advisory. Upgrade to any version released after this vulnerability disclosure if available. Test the update in a non-production environment first to ensure compatibility with your WordPress version and other active plugins. After patching, scan your database for unauthorized data access or modification using WordPress security plugins or your hosting provider's audit logs.

Detection guidance

Monitor WordPress access logs for GET requests containing the 'aid' parameter with unusual characters such as quotes, semicolons, SQL keywords (SELECT, UNION, WHERE), or percent-encoded equivalents. Deploy a Web Application Firewall configured to detect SQL injection patterns. Use WordPress security plugins with intrusion detection to alert on parameter tampering. Check database audit logs for unexpected queries or access patterns. Review user account creation logs for unauthorized administrative accounts created during the vulnerable period.

Why prioritize this

This vulnerability merits immediate attention due to its HIGH CVSS score (8.2), lack of authentication requirements, and the critical nature of exposed assets—user credentials and database contents. WordPress sites are pervasive targets, and SQL injection is a well-understood attack vector. The plugin's direct exposure to unauthenticated requests means every publicly accessible WordPress installation running version 1.0 is at risk from basic, automatable attacks.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.2 reflects the vulnerability's high confidentiality impact (users' credentials and database data are accessible), low integrity impact (SQL injection can modify data, but the vector suggests limited impact here), and no availability impact. The attack vector is network-based with no privilege requirement or user interaction, placing it in the HIGH severity bracket. The score does not account for exploit prevalence or threat actor interest; real-world exploitation likelihood may be elevated given the plugin's public nature and the simplicity of SQL injection attacks.

Frequently asked questions