CVE-2017-20243: WordPress Car Park Booking SQL Injection

CVE-2017-20243 Overview

CVE-2017-20243 is a time-based SQL injection vulnerability [CWE-89] in the WordPress Car Park Booking Plugin version 13 October 17. The flaw exists in the space_id parameter processed by the booking-page endpoint. Unauthenticated attackers can inject SQL payloads through GET requests to manipulate backend database queries. The plugin fails to sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL statements. Attackers leverage AND SLEEP() payloads to infer query results and extract sensitive data from the WordPress database.

Critical Impact
Remote unauthenticated attackers can extract WordPress database contents, including user credentials, session tokens, and booking records, by injecting time-based SQL payloads through the space_id parameter.

Affected Products

WordPress Car Park Booking Plugin version 13 October 17
WordPress installations using the Car Park Booking Plugin distributed via CodeCanyon
Sites exposing the booking-page endpoint to unauthenticated visitors

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-09 - CVE-2017-20243 published to NVD
2026-06-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2017-20243

Vulnerability Analysis

The WordPress Car Park Booking Plugin accepts a space_id parameter on its booking-page endpoint without applying parameterized queries or input sanitization. The plugin concatenates the attacker-controlled value directly into a SQL statement executed against the WordPress database. Because no error output is required for exploitation, attackers use time-based inference techniques to extract data. By injecting AND SLEEP(N) constructs, the attacker forces the database to delay its response when a boolean condition evaluates true, leaking one bit of information per request.

The absence of authentication requirements expands the attack surface to any visitor capable of reaching the booking endpoint. Successful exploitation yields read access to all tables in the WordPress schema, including wp_users (password hashes), wp_usermeta, and plugin-specific booking tables that may contain personally identifiable information.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command [CWE-89]. The plugin developer interpolated the space_id GET parameter into a SQL query string instead of using prepared statements through the WordPress $wpdb->prepare() API. No type-casting or numeric validation enforces that space_id must be an integer.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network with no privileges and no user interaction. An attacker sends a crafted GET request to the booking-page endpoint with a malicious space_id value containing time-based SQL injection payloads. Repeated requests automate the extraction of database content one character at a time. Public exploit details are referenced in Exploit-DB #43012 and the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory.

No verified proof-of-concept code is included here. See the referenced advisories for technical request structure and payload details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2017-20243

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP GET requests to /booking-page containing space_id values with SQL keywords such as SLEEP, BENCHMARK, UNION, SELECT, or AND.
Web server access logs showing repeated requests to the booking endpoint from a single source IP with incrementally changing space_id values.
Database query latency spikes correlated with inbound requests to the WordPress booking page.
Unusual outbound traffic from the WordPress host following enumeration of booking endpoints.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server logs for URL-encoded SQL syntax in the space_id query parameter using regular expression matching.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that blocks SQL injection signatures on requests targeting the booking-page endpoint.
Correlate slow MySQL query log entries containing SLEEP( with HTTP request timestamps on the front-end web server.
Monitor for non-numeric values supplied to the space_id parameter, which is expected to be an integer identifier.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable MySQL general or slow query logging on the WordPress database server to capture injected payloads.
Forward Apache or NGINX access logs to a centralized SIEM for retrospective threat hunting.
Alert on HTTP 500 responses or anomalously long response times for the booking endpoint.
Track failed authentication events that follow suspicious database read activity, which may indicate credential extraction.

How to Mitigate CVE-2017-20243

Immediate Actions Required

Disable or uninstall the WordPress Car Park Booking Plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the vendor.
Restrict access to the booking-page endpoint at the web server or WAF layer to trusted networks while remediation is in progress.
Rotate all WordPress administrator passwords and invalidate active sessions if the plugin has been exposed to the internet.
Audit the WordPress database for evidence of unauthorized read operations against the wp_users table.

Patch Information

No vendor patch reference is available in the NVD record at the time of publication. Refer to the CodeCanyon Plugin Listing for the latest vendor release and changelog. Verify any new version against the VulnCheck SQL Injection Advisory before redeploying the plugin.

Workarounds

Add a WAF signature that drops requests where space_id contains non-numeric characters or SQL keywords.
Place the WordPress site behind authentication or IP allow-listing until the plugin is patched or removed.
Apply the principle of least privilege to the WordPress database user, removing access to tables outside the plugin's required scope.

bash

# Example NGINX rule to block non-numeric space_id values
location /booking-page {
    if ($arg_space_id !~ "^[0-9]+$") {
        return 403;
    }
}