CVE-2026-4798: Avada Builder Plugin SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2026-4798 Overview

CVE-2026-4798 is a time-based SQL injection vulnerability in the Avada Builder plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all plugin versions up to and including 3.15.1. It exists in the handling of the product_order parameter, which receives insufficient escaping and is concatenated into an SQL query without proper preparation. Unauthenticated attackers can append additional SQL statements to extract sensitive data from the WordPress database. Exploitation requires a specific environmental condition: WooCommerce must have been installed and activated previously, then deactivated. The vulnerability is categorized under [CWE-89] (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command).

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can extract sensitive database contents — including user credentials, session tokens, and configuration data — from affected WordPress sites where WooCommerce was previously active.

Affected Products

• Avada Builder plugin for WordPress, all versions up to and including 3.15.1
• WordPress sites where WooCommerce was previously installed and then deactivated
• Sites running the Avada theme bundled with the vulnerable Avada Builder component

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-13 - CVE-2026-4798 published to NVD
• 2026-05-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-4798

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Avada Builder plugin's handling of the product_order request parameter. The plugin passes attacker-controlled input into a database query without using prepared statements and without applying sufficient escaping. Because the injection is time-based, attackers infer query results by measuring response delays produced by SQL functions such as SLEEP() or conditional time-delay payloads. This technique allows blind data exfiltration even when the application does not return query results directly. The attack proceeds over the network, requires no authentication, and requires no user interaction. The conditional precondition — that WooCommerce was previously active and then deactivated — leaves residual code paths or database structures that the plugin still references, exposing the unsafe query.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of parameterized queries combined with inadequate input sanitization on the product_order parameter. WordPress provides the $wpdb->prepare() API for safe query construction, but the affected code path concatenates user input directly into the SQL string. This breaks the separation between code and data, the underlying defect tracked as [CWE-89].

Attack Vector

An unauthenticated remote attacker sends a crafted HTTP request containing a time-delay SQL payload in the product_order parameter. The server processes the injected SQL, and the response timing reveals one bit of information per request. Attackers iterate over characters to reconstruct query output such as administrator password hashes from wp_users or secret keys from wp_options.

No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available. Refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for the technical disclosure details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-4798

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests containing the product_order parameter with SQL keywords such as SLEEP, BENCHMARK, UNION, SELECT, or encoded variants
• Web server access logs showing repeated requests to Avada Builder endpoints with abnormally long response times
• Database query logs containing unprepared statements referencing the product_order value with appended SQL clauses
• Spikes in 200-status responses with response durations exceeding typical baselines on Avada-powered pages

Detection Strategies

• Inspect web application firewall (WAF) logs for SQL injection signatures targeting the product_order parameter
• Correlate request timing anomalies on WordPress endpoints with source IPs issuing high-volume parameter probing
• Audit installed WordPress plugins to enumerate sites running Avada Builder at or below version 3.15.1
• Identify sites with historical WooCommerce installation that has since been deactivated, as these match the exploitation precondition

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable MySQL slow query logging and alert on queries containing time-delay functions originating from web application database users
• Forward WordPress and reverse proxy access logs to a centralized SIEM for parameter-based anomaly detection
• Monitor outbound traffic from web servers for data exfiltration patterns following suspected injection activity
• Track authentication events for newly created or modified administrator accounts on affected WordPress instances

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-4798

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Avada Builder plugin to a version newer than 3.15.1 once the vendor releases a patched build
• If a patched version is not yet available, deactivate the Avada Builder plugin on sites that previously used and deactivated WooCommerce
• Rotate WordPress administrator credentials, API keys, and database passwords on any site suspected of exploitation
• Deploy WAF rules to block requests containing SQL metacharacters in the product_order parameter

Patch Information

Consult the Wordfence Vulnerability Report and the ThemeForest Product Page for the latest vendor release information. Apply updates through the WordPress plugin manager or via the vendor distribution channel as soon as a fixed version is published.

Workarounds

• Reinstall and reactivate WooCommerce if it is required by the site, since the vulnerability requires WooCommerce to be deactivated to be exploitable
• Restrict access to Avada Builder endpoints using HTTP authentication or IP allowlisting at the web server or reverse proxy layer
• Apply virtual patching through a WAF to filter SQL syntax in the product_order parameter until an official fix is installed
• Place the WordPress database account under least privilege, removing FILE, SUPER, and unnecessary SELECT access from non-essential tables

# Example ModSecurity rule to block SQLi payloads in product_order
SecRule ARGS:product_order "@rx (?i)(sleep\(|benchmark\(|union\s+select|--|;)" \
    "id:1004798,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,\
    msg:'CVE-2026-4798 Avada Builder SQLi attempt in product_order'"