CVE-2024-49615 Overview
CVE-2024-49615 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Henrique Rodrigues SafetyForms WordPress plugin (safetymails-forms). The flaw chains CSRF with Blind SQL Injection, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary SQL statements through forged requests. The vulnerability affects all SafetyForms versions up to and including 1.0.0. Exploitation requires an authenticated user to interact with attacker-controlled content, such as a malicious link or page.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables blind SQL injection against the WordPress database, exposing site data, credentials, and integrity of the underlying content management system.
Affected Products
- Henrique Rodrigues SafetyForms (safetymails-forms) plugin for WordPress
- All versions from initial release through 1.0.0
- WordPress sites running the affected plugin
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-10-20 - CVE-2024-49615 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-49615
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability combines two weaknesses into a single attack chain. The plugin lacks anti-CSRF tokens [CWE-352] on a sensitive request handler, and that same handler passes user-supplied input into a SQL query without parameterization. An attacker hosts a crafted page that issues a state-changing request to a vulnerable WordPress site. When an authenticated administrator visits the page, the browser submits the request with the victim's session cookies attached.
The forged request reaches the plugin's backend handler, which processes attacker-controlled parameters and concatenates them into a SQL statement. Because no output is returned to the attacker, exploitation relies on blind SQL injection techniques such as boolean-based or time-based inference. The attacker can enumerate database contents one bit at a time, extracting sensitive records including wp_users password hashes and authentication keys.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of CSRF nonce verification in a plugin endpoint that also fails to sanitize or parameterize SQL input. WordPress provides wp_verify_nonce() and check_admin_referer() to prevent forged requests, but the SafetyForms plugin does not invoke these guards on the affected handler. The same handler builds SQL queries through string concatenation rather than prepared statements, compounding the flaw.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker delivers a malicious URL or embeds an HTML form or image tag on a third-party site. When an authenticated WordPress user, typically an administrator, visits the attacker's content, the browser issues the forged request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. The plugin processes the request and executes the injected SQL, allowing the attacker to query or modify database contents indirectly.
No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. Refer to the Patchstack Security Advisory for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-49615
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected outbound requests from administrator browsers to unfamiliar domains followed by POST or GET requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or SafetyForms plugin endpoints
- Anomalous SQL query patterns in MySQL slow query or general query logs containing SLEEP(), BENCHMARK(), or conditional IF() constructs
- HTTP referer headers pointing to external sites on requests that modify WordPress data through the SafetyForms plugin
Detection Strategies
- Monitor WordPress access logs for requests to SafetyForms plugin endpoints originating with cross-site referer headers
- Inspect database query logs for time-based blind SQL injection signatures and unusual UNION or conditional clauses
- Correlate administrator session activity with browser-initiated requests to detect CSRF patterns
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress debug logging and forward web server logs to a centralized SIEM for retention and analysis
- Alert on SQL errors emitted by the WordPress database that reference plugin-supplied parameters
- Track plugin inventory across managed WordPress instances to identify hosts running vulnerable SafetyForms versions
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-49615
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify all WordPress sites running the SafetyForms (safetymails-forms) plugin and confirm installed versions
- Deactivate and remove the SafetyForms plugin on any site running version 1.0.0 or earlier until a patched release is confirmed
- Rotate WordPress administrator passwords and authentication keys (wp-config.php salts) on sites where exploitation is suspected
Patch Information
At the time of publication, the vendor advisory listed on Patchstack indicates the vulnerability affects versions through 1.0.0 with no fixed version published. Monitor the Patchstack Security Advisory and the WordPress plugin repository for an updated release that introduces nonce verification and parameterized queries.
Workarounds
- Remove the SafetyForms plugin entirely if a patched version is not available
- Restrict administrator access to trusted networks and require administrators to use separate browser profiles for WordPress management
- Deploy a web application firewall rule that blocks requests to SafetyForms endpoints lacking a same-origin referer header
# Example: disable the SafetyForms plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate safetymails-forms
wp plugin delete safetymails-forms
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
