CVE-2024-49621 Overview
CVE-2024-49621 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the aatmaadhikari APA Register Newsletter Form WordPress plugin that enables SQL Injection. The flaw affects all versions of apa-register-newsletter-form 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, injects arbitrary SQL into the plugin's database queries. The issue is categorized under [CWE-352] (Cross-Site Request Forgery) and chains directly into a SQL Injection condition.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to full disclosure of WordPress database contents, modification of stored records, and complete site compromise via SQL Injection chained from CSRF.
Affected Products
- APA Register Newsletter Form WordPress plugin (apa-register-newsletter-form)
- All versions from n/a through <= 1.0.0
- WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin active
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-10-20 - CVE-2024-49621 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-49621
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability combines two weaknesses in the APA Register Newsletter Form plugin. The plugin's request handlers lack CSRF protection, meaning state-changing actions do not validate WordPress nonces or verify request origin. The same handlers pass user-supplied input into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization.
An attacker hosts a crafted page that submits a forged request to the vulnerable plugin endpoint. When an authenticated WordPress user (including an administrator) visits the page, the browser sends the request with valid session cookies. The plugin executes the request and incorporates attacker-controlled values into a SQL query, resulting in injection.
Exploitation requires user interaction, as reflected in the attack vector. However, the impact spans confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the underlying database.
Root Cause
The root cause is a missing CSRF token validation layer combined with unsanitized input flowing into SQL statements. WordPress provides wp_verify_nonce() and check_admin_referer() helpers for CSRF protection and $wpdb->prepare() for parameterized queries. The plugin omits both controls in the affected request handlers.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires the victim to interact with attacker-controlled content. An attacker delivers a phishing link or embeds a malicious form on a third-party site. When a logged-in WordPress user loads the content, the forged request executes against the target site under the victim's privileges. The injected SQL then runs in the database context of the WordPress installation.
No verified public exploit code is available at the time of writing. Technical details are documented in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-49621
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected POST requests to APA Register Newsletter Form plugin endpoints originating from external Referer headers
- WordPress access logs showing requests to plugin handlers without a valid _wpnonce parameter
- Anomalous SQL syntax fragments (UNION SELECT, SLEEP(, --, ') appearing in plugin request parameters
- Unexpected new WordPress administrator accounts or modified wp_users / wp_options rows
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web server and WordPress audit logs for requests to apa-register-newsletter-form endpoints that contain SQL metacharacters in query strings or POST bodies
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall rule that flags SQL Injection payloads targeting newsletter plugin parameters
- Correlate cross-origin Referer headers with authenticated session activity to identify CSRF attempts
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress activity logging to capture administrative actions, user creations, and option changes
- Monitor database query patterns for unusual SELECT statements against wp_users, wp_usermeta, and wp_options
- Alert on outbound HTTP requests from the WordPress host that could indicate post-exploitation data exfiltration
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-49621
Immediate Actions Required
- Deactivate and remove the APA Register Newsletter Form plugin until a patched release is available
- Audit WordPress administrator accounts and reset credentials for any account that may have visited untrusted content
- Review the WordPress database for unauthorized modifications, particularly in wp_users and wp_options
- Enforce least privilege for WordPress users to limit the blast radius of CSRF-triggered actions
Patch Information
No vendor-supplied patch is referenced in the available advisory data. The plugin is vulnerable through version 1.0.0 with no fixed version documented. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for status updates.
Workarounds
- Remove the apa-register-newsletter-form plugin from the WordPress installation
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall with rules blocking SQL Injection payloads and cross-origin POST requests to plugin endpoints
- Require administrators to log out of WordPress when browsing untrusted sites and use isolated browser profiles for administrative work
- Restrict access to /wp-admin and plugin endpoints by source IP where feasible
# Disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate apa-register-newsletter-form
wp plugin delete apa-register-newsletter-form
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
