module

WordPress PHPMailer Host Header Command Injection

Try Surface Command
Back to search
Disclosed
May 3, 2017
Created
May 30, 2018

Description

This module exploits a command injection vulnerability in WordPress
version 4.6 with Exim as an MTA via a spoofed Host header to PHPMailer,
a mail-sending library that is bundled with WordPress.

A valid WordPress username is required to exploit the vulnerability.
Additionally, due to the altered Host header, exploitation is limited to
the default virtual host, assuming the header isn't mangled in transit.

If the target is running Apache 2.2.32 or 2.4.24 and later, the server
may have HttpProtocolOptions set to Strict, preventing a Host header
containing parens from passing through, making exploitation unlikely.

Authors

Dawid Golunski
wvu [email protected]

Platform

Linux

Architectures

x86, x64

References

Module Options

To display the available options, load the module within the Metasploit console and run the commands 'show options' or 'show advanced':


    msf > use exploit/unix/webapp/wp_phpmailer_host_header
    msf exploit(wp_phpmailer_host_header) > show targets
        ...targets...
    msf exploit(wp_phpmailer_host_header) > set TARGET < target-id >
    msf exploit(wp_phpmailer_host_header) > show options
        ...show and set options...
    msf exploit(wp_phpmailer_host_header) > exploit
Title
Rapid7 Labs

2026 Global Threat Landscape Report

The predictive window has collapsed. Exploitation follows disclosure in days. See how attackers are accelerating and how to stay ahead.