CVE-2026-57662: Contest Gallery SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2026-57662 Overview

CVE-2026-57662 is a SQL injection vulnerability affecting the Contest Gallery WordPress plugin in versions up to and including 30.0.0. The flaw allows authenticated users with Contributor-level privileges to inject arbitrary SQL statements into database queries. Successful exploitation can expose sensitive database contents and impact availability of the WordPress site. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command). The scope is marked as changed, indicating the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component into the broader database context.

Critical Impact
Authenticated contributors can execute arbitrary SQL queries against the WordPress database, exposing confidential data stored across all plugins and core tables.

Affected Products

Contest Gallery WordPress plugin versions <= 30.0.0
WordPress installations with the Contest Gallery plugin enabled
Sites permitting Contributor-role account registration or with existing contributor accounts

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-26 - CVE-2026-57662 published to NVD
2026-06-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-57662

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Contest Gallery plugin's handling of user-supplied input passed to SQL queries. The plugin fails to properly sanitize or parameterize input before incorporating it into database statements. An authenticated user holding the Contributor role can craft requests containing SQL syntax that alters the intended query structure.

Because the scope is changed, the injected query can read data outside the plugin's own tables, including WordPress core tables such as wp_users and wp_usermeta. Contributor accounts are commonly granted on multi-author blogs, lowering the barrier to exploitation. The attack vector is network-based and requires no user interaction beyond the attacker's own authenticated session.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in a SQL command [CWE-89]. Input reaching a SQL statement is concatenated or interpolated without use of prepared statements or the WordPress $wpdb->prepare() API. This allows metacharacters such as single quotes, UNION, and comment sequences to modify query semantics.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticates to WordPress with a Contributor account and issues a request to a vulnerable Contest Gallery endpoint. The request includes a crafted parameter value containing SQL syntax. The server executes the modified query, returning data in the response or through inference via timing and error-based techniques.

No public proof-of-concept code has been released for CVE-2026-57662 at the time of publication. Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for additional technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-57662

Indicators of Compromise

Web server access logs containing SQL keywords such as UNION SELECT, SLEEP(, INFORMATION_SCHEMA, or -- in query parameters targeting Contest Gallery endpoints
Unexpected outbound queries or database errors in wp-content/debug.log originating from Contest Gallery plugin files
Authentication events for Contributor accounts followed by anomalous request volumes to plugin URLs

Detection Strategies

Deploy web application firewall rules that inspect POST and GET parameters submitted to Contest Gallery routes for SQL injection signatures
Correlate WordPress role assignments with request patterns to identify Contributor accounts issuing database-modifying queries
Enable MySQL general query logging temporarily to identify malformed or unusually long queries originating from the plugin

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor for spikes in HTTP 500 responses from /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and other plugin endpoints
Alert on newly created Contributor or higher-privilege accounts on sites where registration is normally closed
Track queries against wp_users and wp_options tables that originate from plugin execution contexts

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-57662

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Contest Gallery plugin to a version above 30.0.0 once released by the vendor
Audit existing Contributor accounts and remove any that are inactive or unrecognized
Disable the Contest Gallery plugin if a patched version is not yet available and the functionality is not essential

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack Vulnerability Report for the latest patch status. Apply vendor updates as soon as they become available and verify the installed version through the WordPress admin plugin management interface.

Workarounds

Restrict Contributor role assignments and require administrator approval for new author accounts
Deploy a WordPress-aware WAF such as Patchstack or Wordfence with virtual patching enabled for CVE-2026-57662
Apply the principle of least privilege at the database layer by limiting the WordPress database user's permissions where feasible

bash

# Configuration example - disable the plugin via WP-CLI until patched
wp plugin deactivate contest-gallery
wp plugin status contest-gallery