CVE-2024-49617 Overview
CVE-2024-49617 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Back Link Tracker WordPress plugin by anciwasim that chains into a Blind SQL Injection. The flaw affects all versions of the plugin up to and including 1.0.0. An attacker can craft a malicious request that, when triggered by an authenticated user visiting an attacker-controlled page, executes SQL statements against the WordPress database without the victim's consent. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-352 and reported via the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables blind SQL injection against the WordPress database, exposing credentials, session data, and post content to unauthenticated attackers leveraging an authenticated victim's browser.
Affected Products
- Back Link Tracker WordPress plugin versions up to and including 1.0.0
- WordPress sites running the back-link-tracker plugin by anciwasim/bhaskardhote
- All WordPress installations where an administrator with the plugin installed can be tricked into visiting an attacker-controlled URL
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-10-20 - CVE-2024-49617 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-49617
Vulnerability Analysis
The Back Link Tracker plugin exposes administrative actions that lack anti-CSRF protections such as WordPress nonces (wp_nonce_field, check_admin_referer). When a logged-in administrator visits a malicious page, the attacker's HTML or JavaScript forces the browser to issue a forged request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint using the victim's session cookies.
The forged request reaches a plugin handler that concatenates user-supplied input directly into a SQL query without parameterization or sanitization. This produces a blind SQL injection sink reachable through CSRF. The attacker does not see the response directly. Instead, time-based or boolean-based techniques are used to infer data from the database.
The attack chain combines two distinct weaknesses: missing request origin validation and unsafe SQL query construction. Either weakness alone would be serious; their combination allows unauthenticated attackers to perform privileged database operations through the victim's session.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of CSRF tokens on state-changing plugin endpoints, combined with improper neutralization of input used in SQL statements. The plugin trusts the authenticated session without verifying that the request originated from a legitimate plugin interface.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires user interaction. An attacker hosts a page containing an auto-submitting form or fetch request targeting the vulnerable plugin endpoint. When a WordPress administrator with an active session visits the page, the browser sends authenticated requests carrying the malicious SQL payload. No verified public proof-of-concept code is currently available. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-49617
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected POST or GET requests to back-link-tracker plugin endpoints originating from external Referer headers
- WordPress database queries containing SQL meta-characters such as SLEEP(, BENCHMARK(, UNION SELECT, or boolean expressions in plugin parameters
- Administrator account activity correlated with outbound visits to untrusted domains
- New or modified rows in wp_users or wp_options without a corresponding admin-initiated change
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web server access logs for requests to /wp-admin/admin.php?page=back-link-tracker or related plugin URIs that include encoded SQL syntax
- Deploy WordPress security plugins or a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules covering CSRF token absence and SQLi payload patterns
- Correlate administrator browser activity with subsequent plugin endpoint hits using session and IP fingerprinting
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable query logging on the WordPress MySQL/MariaDB instance and alert on time-delay functions or stacked queries
- Monitor for HTTP requests to vulnerable plugin endpoints lacking a valid _wpnonce parameter
- Track changes to wp_users, wp_usermeta, and option tables that occur outside change windows
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-49617
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the Back Link Tracker plugin until a fixed release is available
- Force a password reset for all WordPress administrators and rotate database credentials if compromise is suspected
- Audit wp_users and wp_options tables for unauthorized modifications
- Restrict /wp-admin access by IP allowlist where operationally feasible
Patch Information
At the time of publication, no vendor patch has been listed in the available references. The vulnerability affects all versions through 1.0.0. Site operators should consult the Patchstack advisory for updates on a fixed version.
Workarounds
- Remove the vulnerable plugin entirely as the most reliable mitigation
- Deploy a WAF rule blocking requests to plugin endpoints that lack a valid WordPress nonce token
- Require administrators to use a dedicated browser profile for WordPress management to reduce CSRF exposure from general browsing
- Enable SameSite=Strict cookie attributes on WordPress session cookies where supported
# Configuration example: disable the plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate back-link-tracker
wp plugin delete back-link-tracker
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
