CVE-2026-3657 – This SQL injection vulnerability in the My Stic... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2026-3657?

CVE-2026-3657 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This SQL injection vulnerability in the My Sticky Bar WordPress plugin allows unauthenticated attackers to extract data from the database using blind time-based techniques. Attackers can inject SQL via crafted parameter names in AJAX requests, bypassing value sanitization. All WordPress sites using My Sticky Bar versions up to 2.8.6 are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This SQL injection vulnerability in the My Sticky Bar WordPress plugin allows unauthenticated attackers to extract data from the database using blind time-based techniques. Attackers can inject SQL via crafted parameter names in AJAX requests, bypassing value sanitization. All WordPress sites using My Sticky Bar versions up to 2.8.6 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

My Sticky Bar WordPress plugin

Versions: All versions up to and including 2.8.6

Operating Systems: All operating systems running WordPress

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Vulnerability exists in default plugin configuration. WordPress multisite installations are also affected.

⚠️ 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.

Recommended Actions:

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 including sensitive user data, admin credentials, and potential privilege escalation leading to full site takeover.

🟠

Likely Case

Data extraction from WordPress database tables including user information, plugin data, and potentially sensitive content.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited data exposure if database permissions are restricted and sensitive data is encrypted.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires crafting specific AJAX requests with malicious parameter names. Time-based blind SQL injection techniques are needed for data extraction.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2.8.7

Vendor Advisory: https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?old_path=/mystickymenu/tags/2.8.6&new_path=/mystickymenu/tags/2.8.7

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'My Sticky Bar' and click 'Update Now'. 4. Alternatively, download version 2.8.7 from WordPress plugin repository and manually replace files.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable vulnerable AJAX endpoint

all

Remove or block access to the vulnerable stickymenu_contact_lead_form AJAX handler

Add to theme's functions.php: remove_action('wp_ajax_stickymenu_contact_lead_form', 'stickymenu_contact_lead_form'); remove_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_stickymenu_contact_lead_form', 'stickymenu_contact_lead_form');

Web Application Firewall rule

all

Block requests containing SQL injection patterns in parameter names

WAF-specific configuration to block POST requests with parameter names containing SQL keywords or special characters

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable the My Sticky Bar plugin completely until patched
Implement strict input validation at the web server level to reject requests with suspicious parameter names

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WordPress admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins for My Sticky Bar version. If version is 2.8.6 or lower, you are vulnerable.

Check Version:

wp plugin list --name=mystickymenu --field=version (if WP-CLI installed)

Verify Fix Applied:

After updating, verify My Sticky Bar version shows 2.8.7 or higher in WordPress plugins list.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Multiple POST requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=stickymenu_contact_lead_form containing unusual parameter names
Database queries with unexpected column names in WordPress debug logs

Network Indicators:

POST requests to admin-ajax.php with SQL keywords in parameter names
Unusual timing patterns in AJAX responses indicating time-based SQL injection

SIEM Query:

source="wordpress.log" AND "admin-ajax.php" AND "stickymenu_contact_lead_form" AND ("SELECT" OR "UNION" OR "SLEEP" OR "BENCHMARK")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2026-3657

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-89

Published: March 12, 2026

Last Updated: March 12, 2026

🔗 References

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