CVE-2024-54361: Instant Appointment SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2024-54361 Overview

CVE-2024-54361 is a SQL injection vulnerability in the tenteeglobal Instant Appointment plugin for WordPress. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command [CWE-89]. It affects all versions of the instant-appointment plugin up to and including 1.2. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit the issue over the network without user interaction. Successful exploitation can disclose sensitive database contents and impact application availability. The vulnerability was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) on December 16, 2024.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can inject arbitrary SQL statements into the Instant Appointment plugin, exposing WordPress database contents including user records and appointment data.

Affected Products

tenteeglobal Instant Appointment WordPress plugin (instant-appointment)
All versions from n/a through 1.2
WordPress sites with the Instant Appointment plugin installed and active

Discovery Timeline

2024-12-16 - CVE-2024-54361 published to NVD
2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-54361

Vulnerability Analysis

The Instant Appointment plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries. An unauthenticated attacker can craft HTTP requests containing malicious SQL fragments that the plugin passes directly to the WordPress database layer. The injected statements execute with the privileges of the WordPress database user.

The scope is marked as changed, meaning exploitation impacts resources beyond the vulnerable component. Confidentiality impact is high, while integrity is unaffected and availability impact is low. Attackers primarily gain the ability to read arbitrary tables, including the wp_users table containing password hashes.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of parameterized queries or proper escaping when handling request parameters. The plugin concatenates attacker-controlled input directly into SQL statements, which violates safe database access practices required by the WordPress $wpdb API.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against a publicly accessible WordPress site running the plugin. No authentication or user interaction is required. An attacker submits crafted parameters to a vulnerable plugin endpoint, triggering the injection. Standard SQL injection techniques such as UNION-based extraction, boolean-based blind injection, and time-based blind injection apply.

The vulnerability mechanism is described in the Patchstack SQL Injection Vulnerability advisory. No public proof-of-concept exploit code is available at this time.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-54361

Indicators of Compromise

HTTP requests to Instant Appointment plugin endpoints containing SQL metacharacters such as ', --, UNION SELECT, or SLEEP(
Unusual database query patterns or errors logged by MySQL referencing the plugin's tables
Unexpected outbound queries returning large result sets from wp_users, wp_options, or appointment tables
Web server access logs showing repeated parameter manipulation against /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or plugin-specific routes

Detection Strategies

Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set that flags SQL injection patterns targeting WordPress plugin parameters
Enable MySQL general query logging on staging or high-risk hosts to identify malformed queries originating from the plugin
Correlate spikes in 500-series HTTP responses from plugin endpoints with suspicious source IPs

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward WordPress, web server, and database logs to a centralized analytics platform for query and request inspection
Alert on authentication failures and successful logins immediately following anomalous requests to plugin URLs
Monitor file integrity on wp-content/plugins/instant-appointment/ to identify post-exploitation tampering

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-54361

Immediate Actions Required

Deactivate and remove the Instant Appointment plugin until a patched release is confirmed available
Audit the WordPress database for unauthorized accounts, modified user roles, and exfiltration-indicative query logs
Rotate all WordPress administrator passwords and any secrets stored in wp-options
Block known scanner and exploitation source IPs at the network edge or WAF

Patch Information

At the time of NVD publication, no fixed version beyond 1.2 was listed in the advisory. Site operators should consult the Patchstack advisory for the latest patch status and apply any vendor update as soon as it is released.

Workarounds

Restrict access to plugin endpoints using .htaccess, NGINX location blocks, or WAF rules until a patch is installed
Apply a virtual patch via a WAF such as ModSecurity with the OWASP Core Rule Set to block SQL injection payloads
Enforce least privilege on the WordPress database user, removing FILE, CREATE, and DROP privileges where unnecessary

bash

# Example ModSecurity rule to block SQL injection against the plugin path
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-content/plugins/instant-appointment/" \
    "id:1005401,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,\
    msg:'Block requests to vulnerable Instant Appointment plugin (CVE-2024-54361)'"