CVE-2022-3856 is a high-severity SQL Injection vulnerability affecting the Comic Book Management System WordPress plugin versions prior to 2.2.0. The vulnerability arises because the plugin fails to properly sanitize and escape user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries. Specifically, a parameter used in the plugin's SQL statements is not validated or escaped, allowing an attacker with at least Admin-level privileges on the WordPress site to inject arbitrary SQL code. This can lead to unauthorized access, modification, or deletion of data within the underlying database. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (SQL Injection), a common and critical web application security flaw. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.2, indicating a high severity level, with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. This means the attack can be performed remotely over the network with low attack complexity, but requires high privileges (Admin role) and no user interaction. Successful exploitation can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the database and potentially the entire WordPress site. No known public exploits or patches are currently listed, but the vulnerability was published on December 5, 2022, and has been enriched by CISA. The affected product is a niche WordPress plugin used for managing comic book collections, and the vendor is unknown, which may complicate patch availability and vendor support.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends largely on the presence and use of the Comic Book Management System plugin within their WordPress environments. While this plugin is specialized and likely used by niche communities or businesses related to comic book management, any organization using it with administrative users exposed to the internet faces significant risk. Exploitation could lead to full database compromise, data leakage, unauthorized data manipulation, and potential site defacement or downtime. This could affect confidentiality of sensitive user or business data, integrity of stored information, and availability of the website. Given the plugin requires admin privileges for exploitation, the threat is more relevant where admin accounts are not tightly controlled or where insider threats exist. For European organizations, especially small to medium enterprises or cultural institutions managing comic-related content, this vulnerability could result in reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR breaches if personal data is exposed), and operational disruption. The lack of vendor information and patches increases the risk of prolonged exposure.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting admin access to trusted personnel only and enforcing strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 2. Conduct an audit of all WordPress sites within the organization to identify installations of the Comic Book Management System plugin and verify the version in use. 3. If the plugin is found, consider disabling or uninstalling it until a patched version is available or a secure alternative is found. 4. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection attempts targeting this plugin's endpoints. 5. Monitor logs for suspicious SQL queries or unusual admin activity that could indicate exploitation attempts. 6. Regularly back up WordPress databases and files to enable recovery in case of compromise. 7. Educate administrators about the risks of SQL injection and the importance of least privilege principles. 8. Engage with the WordPress security community or forums to track any emerging patches or exploit reports related to this vulnerability. 9. If feasible, conduct code review or penetration testing focused on this plugin to identify and remediate injection points internally.