CVE-2024-49612: SW Contact Form SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2024-49612 Overview

CVE-2024-49612 is a blind SQL Injection vulnerability in the Sanjeev SW Contact Form plugin (sw-contact-form) for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of the plugin from n/a through 1.0. Improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands [CWE-89] allows an authenticated attacker with low privileges to inject arbitrary SQL statements into database queries. Successful exploitation can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the underlying WordPress database.

Critical Impact
An attacker with low-privileged access can exfiltrate sensitive data, modify records, and potentially escalate to full site compromise via blind SQL injection against the WordPress database.

Affected Products

Infotuts SW Contact Form WordPress plugin (sw-contact-form)
All versions up to and including 1.0
WordPress sites with the vulnerable plugin installed and activated

Discovery Timeline

2024-10-20 - CVE-2024-49612 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-49612

Vulnerability Analysis

The SW Contact Form plugin fails to properly sanitize and parameterize user-supplied input before including it in SQL queries. This weakness maps to CWE-89, Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command. Because the exploit path is blind, attackers infer data through boolean-based or time-based responses rather than direct output.

Exploitation requires network access and low-level authentication to the WordPress site. No user interaction is needed. Successful injection grants the attacker read and write access to any table accessible by the WordPress database user, including wp_users and wp_options.

Root Cause

The root cause is the concatenation of untrusted input directly into SQL statements without using prepared statements or the WordPress $wpdb->prepare() API. Input received through plugin request parameters flows into database queries without proper escaping or parameter binding, enabling injection of attacker-controlled SQL fragments.

Attack Vector

An authenticated attacker sends crafted HTTP requests to the plugin's vulnerable endpoints. Injected payloads modify query logic to leak database contents through inference. Because the vulnerability is blind, attackers typically use conditional payloads such as AND SLEEP(5) or boolean tests like AND 1=1 versus AND 1=2 to extract data character by character.

The vulnerability mechanism is documented in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report. No verified public proof-of-concept code is available.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-49612

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to sw-contact-form plugin endpoints containing SQL metacharacters such as ', --, UNION, SLEEP(, or BENCHMARK(.
Unusually long database response times correlating with plugin request activity, indicative of time-based blind SQLi.
Repeated authenticated requests to the same plugin endpoint with incrementally modified parameter values.
New or unexpected administrator accounts in wp_users following anomalous plugin traffic.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for query strings and POST bodies referencing plugin routes with SQL syntax fragments.
Enable MySQL general query logging temporarily to correlate injected payloads with database activity.
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with signatures for common blind SQL injection patterns targeting WordPress plugins.

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on authenticated sessions generating high volumes of requests to sw-contact-form endpoints.
Monitor for changes to sensitive WordPress tables (wp_users, wp_usermeta, wp_options) outside normal administrative workflows.
Track outbound connections from the web host that could indicate follow-on data exfiltration after successful injection.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-49612

Immediate Actions Required

Deactivate and remove the SW Contact Form plugin from all WordPress installations until a fixed version is confirmed.
Audit WordPress user accounts and revoke any suspicious or unused low-privilege accounts that could be abused for authenticated exploitation.
Rotate WordPress database credentials and administrator passwords if exploitation is suspected.
Review database audit logs for signs of unauthorized SELECT, UPDATE, or INSERT activity against sensitive tables.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no fixed version of the SW Contact Form plugin has been identified in the referenced advisory. The vulnerability affects the plugin through version 1.0. Site administrators should consult the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest remediation guidance and replace the plugin with a maintained alternative if no patch is available.

Workarounds

Uninstall the plugin entirely and use a maintained contact form plugin that receives regular security updates.
Place the WordPress site behind a WAF configured to block SQL injection payloads targeting plugin endpoints.
Restrict WordPress user registration and enforce strong role-based access control to reduce the pool of authenticated attackers.
Apply the principle of least privilege to the WordPress database user, limiting its rights to only the tables required for site operation.

bash

# Configuration example: disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate sw-contact-form
wp plugin delete sw-contact-form

# Verify the plugin is no longer installed
wp plugin list --status=active | grep -i sw-contact-form