CVE-2024-13778
📋 TL;DR
This SQL injection vulnerability in the Hero Mega Menu WordPress plugin allows authenticated attackers with Subscriber-level access or higher to execute arbitrary SQL queries. Attackers can extract sensitive information from the database, including user credentials and other confidential data. All WordPress sites using vulnerable versions of this plugin are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Hero Mega Menu - Responsive WordPress Menu Plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to credential theft, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, and potential site takeover.
Likely Case
Extraction of sensitive user data, admin credentials, and potentially plugin/theme configuration secrets.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper input validation and parameterized queries are implemented, restricting data access to authorized users only.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated access but is straightforward once authenticated. SQL injection via insufficient parameter escaping.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.16.6 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://codecanyon.net/item/hero-menu-responsive-wordpress-mega-menu-plugin/10324895
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins. 3. Find Hero Mega Menu plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If manual update needed, download version 1.16.6+ from CodeCanyon and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched
wp plugin deactivate hero-mega-menu
Restrict User Registration
allDisable new user registration to prevent attacker account creation
wp option update users_can_register 0
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection rules
- Restrict database user permissions to minimum required
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed PluginsCheck Version:
wp plugin get hero-mega-menu --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 1.16.6 or higher and check for any unusual database queries in logs📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in WordPress debug logs
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by SQL-like patterns in requests
Network Indicators:
- POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with SQL patterns in parameters
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("SELECT" OR "UNION" OR "INFORMATION_SCHEMA") AND "hero-mega-menu"