CVE-2024-27956
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in the WordPress Automatic plugin (ValvePress Automatic). Attackers can execute arbitrary SQL commands without authentication, potentially compromising the database. All WordPress sites using Automatic plugin versions up to 3.92.0 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- WordPress Automatic Plugin (ValvePress Automatic)
📦 What is this software?
Automatic by Valvepress
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete database compromise leading to data theft, privilege escalation, remote code execution via database functions, and full site takeover.
Likely Case
Database information disclosure, data manipulation, and potential administrative access to the WordPress site.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation, parameterized queries, and database user privilege restrictions.
🎯 Exploit Status
SQL injection vulnerabilities are commonly weaponized, and unauthenticated access makes exploitation trivial for attackers.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 3.92.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/wp-automatic/wordpress-automatic-plugin-3-92-0-unauthenticated-arbitrary-sql-execution-vulnerability
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'Automatic' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if update available. 5. Alternatively, download version 3.92.1+ from WordPress repository and manually update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Automatic Plugin
allTemporarily deactivate the vulnerable plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate wp-automatic
Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rules
allImplement WAF rules to block SQL injection patterns targeting the plugin.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately disable or remove the Automatic plugin from production systems.
- Implement network segmentation to isolate affected WordPress instances from critical assets.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for 'Automatic' plugin version. If version is 3.92.0 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get wp-automatic --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify plugin version is 3.92.1 or later in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in WordPress or database logs
- Multiple failed login attempts or unusual admin activity following SQL errors
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing SQL syntax to WordPress endpoints
- Unexpected database connections from web server
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("wp-automatic" OR "automatic") AND ("sql" OR "database" OR "union" OR "select")🔗 References
- https://patchstack.com/articles/critical-vulnerabilities-patched-in-wordpress-automatic-plugin?_s_id=cve
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/wp-automatic/wordpress-automatic-plugin-3-92-0-unauthenticated-arbitrary-sql-execution-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
- https://patchstack.com/articles/critical-vulnerabilities-patched-in-wordpress-automatic-plugin?_s_id=cve
- https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/wp-automatic/wordpress-automatic-plugin-3-92-0-unauthenticated-arbitrary-sql-execution-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
