CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2022-21661 — WordPress is a free and open-source content management system written in PHP and paired with a MariaDB database

High CVSS 8

WordPress is a free and open-source content management system written in PHP and paired with a MariaDB database. Due to improper sanitization in WP_Query, there can be cases where SQL injection is possible through plugins or themes that use it in a certain way. This has been patched in WordPress version 5.8.3. Older affected versions are also fixed via security release, that go back till 3.7.37. We strongly recommend that you keep auto-updates enabled. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Severity
High
CVSS
8 (3.1)
Published
2022-01-06
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
php/wordpress
Weaknesses
CWE-89

Affected products

  • wordpress / wordpress

Showing 1 representative product identities from 27 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

SQL and data-query injection

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Check exposure

  • Trace request, message, file, and stored values into SQL, ORM query fragments, filters, sort expressions, and other data-query languages.
  • Inventory database roles, reachable schemas, multi-tenant boundaries, and whether stacked or administrative operations are enabled.
  • Check both direct queries and second-order use of previously stored values.

Remediate safely

  • Use parameterized queries or safe query builders for all values; map identifiers and operators through explicit allowlists.
  • Remove raw query concatenation and give the application account only the tables and operations it requires.
  • Update affected data-access components and add regression tests for query structure preservation with inert edge-case inputs.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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