CVE-2026-2993: WordPress AIWU Plugin SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2026-2993 Overview

CVE-2026-2993 is a SQL Injection vulnerability in the AI Chatbot & Workflow Automation by AIWU plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 1.4.17. The flaw resides in the getListForTbl() function, which fails to properly escape user-supplied parameters and does not adequately prepare the underlying SQL query. Unauthenticated attackers can append additional SQL statements to existing queries to extract sensitive data from the WordPress database. A partial mitigation was introduced in version 1.4.11, which adds a nonce check, though the nonce is only available to administrators.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can extract sensitive database contents, including user records and credentials, from affected WordPress sites.

Affected Products

• AI Chatbot & Workflow Automation by AIWU plugin for WordPress (versions ≤ 1.4.17)
• WordPress sites with the ai-copilot-content-generator plugin installed
• All versions prior to and including 1.4.17 (partial mitigation in 1.4.11)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-12 - CVE-2026-2993 published to NVD
• 2026-05-12 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-2993

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is classified as SQL Injection [CWE-89] and stems from insecure database query construction within the plugin's getListForTbl() function. The function concatenates user-supplied input directly into a SQL query without using prepared statements or proper escaping. Attackers can craft request parameters containing SQL syntax that breaks out of the intended query context. The resulting injected SQL executes with the privileges of the WordPress database user, enabling extraction of arbitrary table data.

The attack is network-accessible, requires no authentication, and needs no user interaction. Impact is limited to confidentiality, as the injection vector supports data extraction but not modification or denial of service in the documented exploitation path.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient input sanitization combined with the absence of parameterized queries in the getListForTbl() function. WordPress provides the $wpdb->prepare() API specifically to prevent this class of flaw, but the plugin builds queries through string concatenation. The partial fix introduced in version 1.4.11 added a nonce check, yet the nonce is only generated for administrator sessions, meaning unauthenticated request paths remain reachable.

Attack Vector

An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable endpoint exposed by the plugin, supplying SQL payloads through parameters consumed by getListForTbl(). Because no authentication is required, scanners and automated tooling can locate and exploit affected sites at scale. Typical payloads use UNION SELECT statements to retrieve data from the wp_users table, including usernames and password hashes. Source code references for the vulnerable functions are available in the WordPress plugin trac for ai-copilot-content-generator and the Wordfence vulnerability report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-2993

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests targeting AJAX or REST endpoints exposed by the ai-copilot-content-generator plugin containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, SLEEP, or -- in request parameters.
• Unexpected database query errors in WordPress debug.log referencing the getListForTbl() function.
• Outbound queries returning unusually large response payloads from plugin endpoints to anonymous clients.

Detection Strategies

• Inspect web server access logs for repeated requests to plugin endpoints from a single source containing URL-encoded SQL syntax.
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule that flags SQL metacharacters in parameters destined for the plugin's controller.
• Correlate WordPress database query logs with HTTP request logs to identify injected UNION-based queries against wp_users or wp_options.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor for new administrator accounts or unexpected modifications to the wp_users table.
• Alert on outbound exfiltration patterns from the web server immediately following anonymous requests to the plugin.
• Track plugin version inventory across all WordPress instances and flag any running ≤ 1.4.17.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-2993

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the AI Chatbot & Workflow Automation by AIWU plugin to a version newer than 1.4.17 once a complete fix is released by the vendor.
• If no fully patched version is available, deactivate and remove the plugin from affected WordPress sites.
• Rotate WordPress administrator credentials and database user passwords if exploitation is suspected.
• Audit the wp_users table for unauthorized accounts and review recent administrative activity.

Patch Information

According to the advisory, version 1.4.11 introduces a partial mitigation by requiring a nonce, but the nonce is only available to administrators, leaving unauthenticated attack paths exposed. Site operators should monitor the Wordfence vulnerability report and the plugin's WordPress.org listing for a complete fix above version 1.4.17.

Workarounds

• Block requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoints at the WAF or reverse proxy layer until a complete patch is applied.
• Restrict access to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and plugin REST routes via IP allowlisting where feasible.
• Apply database-level least privilege by ensuring the WordPress database user cannot read tables outside the WordPress schema.

# Example nginx rule to block SQL metacharacters on plugin endpoints
location ~* /wp-admin/admin-ajax\.php {
    if ($arg_action ~* "ai[-_]?copilot|aiwu") {
        if ($args ~* "(union|select|sleep\(|--|/\*)") {
            return 403;
        }
    }
}