CVE-2024-49691: Product Filter by WBW SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2024-49691 Overview

CVE-2024-49691 is a SQL Injection vulnerability in the WBW Plugins Product Filter by WBW (woo-product-filter) plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.7.0. Improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands allows an authenticated attacker with high privileges to inject arbitrary SQL statements. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-89 (SQL Injection) and was disclosed through Patchstack.

Critical Impact
An authenticated attacker can extract sensitive data from the WordPress database, including user credentials and site configuration, by injecting SQL through the vulnerable plugin.

Affected Products

WordPress plugin: Product Filter by WBW (woo-product-filter)
Affected versions: from n/a through <= 2.7.0
Deployments: WooCommerce-enabled WordPress sites using the WBW Product Filter plugin

Discovery Timeline

2024-10-24 - CVE-2024-49691 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-49691

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability arises from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input passed into SQL queries within the Product Filter by WBW plugin. Attacker-controlled parameters reach database query construction without proper escaping or parameterization. The scope is marked as changed, meaning exploitation can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component. Confidentiality impact is high, while integrity is unaffected and availability impact is low. Exploitation requires network access and high privileges but no user interaction.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands, classified as [CWE-89]. The plugin concatenates user-controlled input into SQL statements instead of using prepared statements or the WordPress $wpdb->prepare() API. This allows SQL syntax tokens supplied by an attacker to be interpreted as query logic rather than data values.

Attack Vector

An authenticated attacker with elevated privileges within the WordPress administrative interface submits crafted input to a plugin endpoint that constructs a SQL query. The injected payload alters the query's logic, enabling extraction of arbitrary rows from the WordPress database. Because the CVSS scope is changed, the impact extends to data outside the plugin's immediate boundary, such as the shared wp_users and wp_options tables.

// No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available.
// Refer to the Patchstack advisory for technical details:
// https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/woo-product-filter/vulnerability/wordpress-product-filter-by-wbw-plugin-2-7-0-sql-injection-vulnerability

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-49691

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual outbound queries or errors in WordPress database logs referencing plugin endpoints under woo-product-filter.
HTTP requests to plugin AJAX or admin-ajax handlers containing SQL metacharacters such as UNION, SELECT, single quotes, or comment sequences (--, #).
Unexpected reads against wp_users, wp_usermeta, or wp_options correlated with authenticated admin sessions.

Detection Strategies

Enable WordPress database query logging and alert on queries originating from the plugin containing tautologies or UNION SELECT patterns.
Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule targeting SQL injection payloads in requests routed to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with plugin-specific action parameters.
Correlate authenticated administrator sessions with anomalous query volume or error rates in debug.log.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor plugin version inventory across all WordPress sites and flag any instance running woo-product-filter at version 2.7.0 or earlier.
Track failed and successful admin logins to detect abuse of high-privilege accounts required for exploitation.
Forward WordPress and web server access logs to a centralized analytics platform for retrospective hunting of SQL injection attempts.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-49691

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Product Filter by WBW plugin to a version later than 2.7.0 as soon as the vendor publishes a patched release.
Audit WordPress administrator and privileged accounts, and rotate credentials for any account that may have been misused.
Review recent database queries and access logs for signs of SQL injection targeting the plugin.

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Advisory for the current patch status and remediation guidance. Until a fixed version is installed, restrict access to the WordPress administrative interface.

Workarounds

Deactivate and remove the woo-product-filter plugin if a patched version is not yet available.
Restrict /wp-admin/ access using IP allowlisting at the web server or WAF layer to reduce the attack surface.
Enforce the principle of least privilege by limiting the number of accounts with administrator or shop-manager roles.

bash

# Example: restrict wp-admin access by IP using nginx
location ^~ /wp-admin/ {
    allow 203.0.113.0/24;
    deny all;
    try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}