CVE-2024-43286 – This SQL injection vulnerability in the Squirrl... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-43286?

CVE-2024-43286 has a CVSS score of 8.5 (HIGH). This SQL injection vulnerability in the Squirrly SEO WordPress plugin allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands on affected websites. All WordPress sites running vulnerable versions of the Squirrly SEO plugin are affected, potentially leading to data theft, modification, or deletion.

📋 TL;DR

This SQL injection vulnerability in the Squirrly SEO WordPress plugin allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands on affected websites. All WordPress sites running vulnerable versions of the Squirrly SEO plugin are affected, potentially leading to data theft, modification, or deletion.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Squirrly SEO Plugin for WordPress

Versions: All versions up to and including 12.3.19

Operating Systems: Any OS running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects all WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin version.

📦 What is this software?

Seo Plugin By Squirrly Seo by Squirrly

View all CVEs affecting Seo Plugin By Squirrly Seo →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete database compromise allowing data exfiltration, privilege escalation, and full site takeover.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized data access, content manipulation, and potential administrative access to the WordPress site.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if proper input validation and database permissions are enforced.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: LOW

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

SQL injection vulnerabilities are commonly weaponized and require minimal technical skill to exploit.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 12.3.20 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/squirrly-seo/wordpress-squirrly-seo-plugin-12-3-19-sql-injection-vulnerability?_s_id=cve

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find Squirrly SEO plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. Alternatively, download latest version from WordPress repository and manually update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Temporary Plugin Deactivation

all

Disable the vulnerable plugin until patched.

wp plugin deactivate squirrly-seo

WAF Rule Implementation

all

Add SQL injection detection rules to web application firewall.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict input validation and parameterized queries in custom code
Restrict database user permissions to minimum required access

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check plugin version in WordPress admin under Plugins > Installed Plugins

Check Version:

wp plugin get squirrly-seo --field=version

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm plugin version is 12.3.20 or higher after update

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual SQL queries in database logs
Multiple failed login attempts from single IP
Unexpected database schema changes

Network Indicators:

SQL syntax in HTTP parameters
Unusual database connection patterns

SIEM Query:

source="web_server" AND ("sql" OR "union" OR "select" OR "insert" OR "update" OR "delete") AND uri_path="/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-43286

CVSS v3 Score: 8.5 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:L

CWE: CWE-89

Published: August 18, 2024

Last Updated: March 31, 2025

🔗 References

https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/squirrly-seo/wordpress-squirrly-seo-plugin-12-3-19-sql-injection-vulnerability?_s_id=cve Third Party Advisory

📤 Share & Export

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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