WP Post Author <= 3.9.1 - Authenticated (Author+) SQL Injection
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- SQL injection
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-89.
Summary
The WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to generic SQL Injection via the 'wpma_metabox_authors_list' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 3.9.1 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database. Exploitation is a two-step chain: an attacker first saves a crafted guest-author token via the wpma_metabox_authors_list parameter during post creation or editing, then triggers the injection when any admin user loads the post list screen at /wp-admin/edit.php, causing the injected SQL result to be rendered in the Authors column.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF themes | WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars | up to 3.9.1 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars VendorAF themes Affected up to 3.9.1 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-11977
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-xjmx-223q-52rw
References
Other 5
- https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/ca5cb925-6f95-4f81-92d0-5f3c8e5f7d59?source=cve
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-post-author/trunk/includes/multi-authors/wpa-multi-authors.php#L312
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-post-author/trunk/includes/multi-authors/wpa-multi-authors.php#L110
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wp-post-author/trunk/includes/multi-authors/wpa-multi-authors.php#L231
- https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/changeset?sfp_email=&sfph_mail=&reponame=&new=3577603%40wp-post-author%2Ftrunk%2Fincludes%2Fmulti-authors%2Fwpa-multi-authors.php&old=3166002%40wp-post-author%2Ftrunk%2Fincludes%2Fmulti-authors%2Fwpa-multi-authors.php&sfp_email=&sfph_mail=
More AF themes vulnerabilities
- TI-2024-08123 Boost Your Blog's Engagement with WP Post Author <= 3.8.1 - Authenticated (Administrator+) SQL Injection CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.2
- TI-2026-41468 WordPress WP Post Author plugin <= 3.9.1 - SQL Injection vulnerability CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.5
- TI-2024-37217 WordPress WP Post Author plugin <= 3.8.2 - SQL Injection vulnerability CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.6
- TI-2026-69111 Blind SQL injection in WP Post Author WordPress plugin CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.6
- TI-2024-24630 WordPress WP Post Author plugin <= 3.6.7 - Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.5
- TI-2024-12404 Freemius <= 2.10.1 - Reflected DOM-Based Cross-Site Scripting via url Parameter CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.1
Sources
- CVE-2026-11977 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-11977 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-xjmx-223q-52rw · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences