CVE-2026-57772: WP Inventory Manager SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2026-57772 Overview

CVE-2026-57772 is a Blind SQL Injection vulnerability in the WP Inventory Manager plugin (wp-inventory-manager) for WordPress. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command [CWE-89]. It affects all versions up to and including 2.4.0. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can inject SQL statements over the network and extract sensitive data from the WordPress database without user interaction. The scope is changed, meaning the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component itself.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can exfiltrate database contents, including user credentials and session tokens, by injecting time-based or boolean SQL payloads into vulnerable plugin parameters.

Affected Products

WP Inventory Manager plugin for WordPress
Versions from n/a through <= 2.4.0
WordPress sites with the wp-inventory-manager plugin installed and activated

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-13 - CVE-2026-57772 published to NVD
2026-07-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-57772

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a Blind SQL Injection classified under [CWE-89]. It affects the WP Inventory Manager WordPress plugin through version 2.4.0. Attackers exploit the flaw by supplying crafted input that the plugin concatenates into SQL statements without proper sanitization or parameterization. Because the injection is blind, responses do not directly reveal query results, so attackers rely on boolean-based or time-based inference techniques to extract data. Exploitation requires an authenticated session with low privileges, and no user interaction is needed. The changed scope indicates that successful injection can affect resources beyond the plugin, such as WordPress core tables containing user credentials and authentication secrets.

Root Cause

The root cause is the plugin's failure to neutralize special SQL characters in user-supplied parameters before incorporating them into database queries. WordPress provides $wpdb->prepare() for parameterized queries, but the affected code paths in wp-inventory-manager up to 2.4.0 do not consistently use safe query construction, allowing operators and metacharacters to break out of intended query context.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network against the WordPress admin or plugin endpoints. An attacker who holds low-privilege credentials, such as a subscriber or contributor account, submits crafted parameter values containing SQL fragments. The plugin passes these values into database queries, allowing the attacker to append conditional expressions or time-delay functions like SLEEP() to infer query outcomes. Refer to the Patchstack advisory for additional technical context. No verified public exploit code is available at this time.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-57772

Indicators of Compromise

Web server access logs containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, SLEEP(, BENCHMARK(, or information_schema in requests to wp-inventory-manager endpoints
Repeated authenticated POST or GET requests to plugin URLs with unusually long or encoded parameter values
Database query logs showing malformed or unusually complex queries originating from plugin PHP files
Unexpected outbound traffic from the WordPress host following authenticated sessions from low-privilege accounts

Detection Strategies

Deploy a web application firewall rule set that inspects requests to /wp-admin/admin.php and /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php for SQL injection signatures targeting plugin actions
Enable MySQL general query logging temporarily to identify queries containing tautologies such as OR 1=1 or timing functions originating from plugin code
Correlate authentication events with plugin request patterns to flag low-privilege accounts issuing repeated parametric probes

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on HTTP 500 responses from wp-inventory-manager endpoints, which often indicate malformed injected queries
Monitor for sudden spikes in request latency to plugin endpoints, consistent with time-based blind SQL injection
Track creation of new administrator accounts or modifications to the wp_users and wp_usermeta tables following plugin traffic

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-57772

Immediate Actions Required

Update WP Inventory Manager to a version later than 2.4.0 once the vendor publishes a patched release
Deactivate and remove the wp-inventory-manager plugin if a patched version is not yet available and the functionality is not business-critical
Audit all WordPress user accounts and revoke unnecessary low-privilege access that could be leveraged for exploitation
Rotate WordPress secret keys in wp-config.php and reset user passwords if exploitation is suspected

Patch Information

At the time of publication, refer to the Patchstack advisory for WP Inventory Manager for the current fixed version. Apply the vendor-supplied update through the WordPress plugin management interface or by replacing the plugin directory with the patched release.

Workarounds

Restrict access to WordPress authenticated endpoints using IP allow-listing for administrative networks
Deploy a virtual patch through a WordPress-aware WAF such as Patchstack, Wordfence, or a cloud WAF to block SQL injection payloads targeting the plugin
Enforce the principle of least privilege by limiting the number of accounts with access to plugin functionality

bash

# Configuration example: temporarily disable the plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate wp-inventory-manager
wp plugin delete wp-inventory-manager