CVE-2024-30502: WP Travel Engine SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2024-30502 Overview

CVE-2024-30502 is an SQL Injection vulnerability affecting the WP Travel Engine plugin for WordPress. This vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries against the WordPress database. The flaw affects all versions of WP Travel Engine from the initial release through version 5.7.9.

Critical Impact

This unauthenticated blind SQL injection vulnerability allows remote attackers to extract sensitive data from the WordPress database, potentially compromising user credentials, travel booking information, and site configuration without requiring any authentication.

Affected Products

• WP Travel Engine plugin for WordPress versions up to and including 5.7.9
• WordPress installations using the vulnerable WP Travel Engine plugin
• Websites utilizing WP Travel Engine for travel booking functionality

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-03-29 - CVE-2024-30502 published to NVD
• 2025-02-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-30502

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (SQL Injection), where user-supplied input is not properly sanitized before being incorporated into SQL queries executed against the WordPress database. The WP Travel Engine plugin fails to adequately validate and escape special characters in user input, enabling attackers to manipulate database queries.

The blind SQL injection nature of this vulnerability means that while direct query results may not be displayed to the attacker, they can still extract information by observing the application's behavior through time-based or boolean-based techniques. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited silently without leaving obvious traces in the user interface.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-30502 lies in the inadequate input sanitization within the WP Travel Engine plugin's database query construction. User-controllable parameters are directly concatenated or interpolated into SQL statements without proper escaping or parameterization. WordPress provides secure database interaction methods through the $wpdb->prepare() function, but the vulnerable code paths in WP Travel Engine versions through 5.7.9 fail to utilize these protections consistently.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without any authentication requirements. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting the vulnerable input parameters. The attack flow typically involves:

1. Identifying vulnerable endpoints in the WP Travel Engine plugin that accept user input
2. Crafting SQL injection payloads designed for blind extraction (time-based or boolean-based)
3. Systematically extracting database contents including WordPress user tables, plugin configurations, and booking data
4. Potentially escalating access by extracting administrator password hashes

Since this is a blind SQL injection vulnerability, attackers typically use automated tools to iterate through database contents character by character. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the Patchstack vulnerability database entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-30502

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database query patterns in WordPress database logs, particularly containing SQL metacharacters like single quotes, UNION, SELECT, or SLEEP() functions
• Abnormal response times from the web server indicating potential time-based SQL injection attempts
• Unexpected database errors or changes in application behavior when processing travel engine requests
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized access to user account information

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns targeting WordPress plugins
• Monitor access logs for requests containing SQL keywords and special characters in query parameters
• Deploy database activity monitoring to identify anomalous query patterns outside normal application behavior
• Use WordPress security plugins capable of detecting malicious request patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all WP Travel Engine plugin activities and database queries
• Configure alerts for multiple failed or suspicious requests to travel booking endpoints
• Monitor for unusual outbound data transfers that could indicate successful data exfiltration
• Review WordPress user accounts for unauthorized changes or new administrator accounts

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-30502

Immediate Actions Required

• Update WP Travel Engine to the latest version immediately, as versions through 5.7.9 are confirmed vulnerable
• Temporarily disable the WP Travel Engine plugin if an update cannot be applied immediately
• Review database access logs for any evidence of prior exploitation
• Consider resetting WordPress user passwords, especially administrator accounts, if compromise is suspected

Patch Information

The vulnerability affects WP Travel Engine versions through 5.7.9. Users should update to the latest available version from the WordPress plugin repository to remediate this vulnerability. Organizations should verify the plugin version by navigating to the WordPress admin panel under Plugins and confirming WP Travel Engine has been updated beyond version 5.7.9.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules as a compensating control
• Restrict access to the WordPress admin area and plugin endpoints using IP allowlisting where feasible
• Implement database user permission restrictions to limit the potential impact of SQL injection
• Consider using WordPress security plugins that provide real-time protection against SQL injection attacks

# Verify current WP Travel Engine version via WP-CLI
wp plugin list --name=wp-travel-engine --fields=name,version,status

# Update WP Travel Engine to latest version
wp plugin update wp-travel-engine

# If immediate update not possible, temporarily deactivate
wp plugin deactivate wp-travel-engine