CVE-2024-12428 is an SQL Injection vulnerability identified in the WP Data Access – App, Table, Form and Chart Builder plugin for WordPress, maintained by peterschulznl. The vulnerability exists in all plugin versions up to and including 5.5.22 due to improper neutralization of special elements in the 'order[user_login][dir]' parameter. Specifically, the plugin fails to sufficiently escape user-supplied input and does not properly prepare SQL queries, allowing attackers to append arbitrary SQL commands. This flaw enables unauthenticated remote attackers to manipulate SQL queries executed by the plugin, potentially extracting sensitive information from the underlying database. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89, indicating improper input validation leading to SQL Injection. The CVSS v3.1 score is 7.5 (High), with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), no integrity or availability impact (I:N/A:N). No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability's characteristics make it exploitable remotely without authentication or user interaction. The plugin is widely used in WordPress environments for building apps, tables, forms, and charts, making the vulnerability relevant to many websites relying on this plugin for data access and presentation.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-12428 is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information from the WordPress site's database. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can extract user credentials, personal data, or other confidential information stored in the database. Since the vulnerability requires no authentication and no user interaction, it can be exploited remotely by any attacker scanning for vulnerable sites. This can lead to data breaches, loss of customer trust, regulatory penalties, and potential further attacks leveraging the stolen data. The integrity and availability of the system are not directly affected, but confidentiality compromise alone can have severe consequences. Organizations running WordPress sites with this plugin are at risk of data leakage, especially if the database contains sensitive or regulated information. The widespread use of WordPress globally increases the potential attack surface, making this vulnerability a significant threat to many organizations, including small businesses, e-commerce sites, and enterprises relying on the plugin for data management.

1. Monitor the vendor's official channels for a security patch and apply it immediately once available to remediate the vulnerability. 2. Until a patch is released, implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block SQL Injection attempts targeting the 'order[user_login][dir]' parameter. 3. Restrict access to the plugin's endpoints by IP whitelisting or authentication where feasible to reduce exposure. 4. Conduct a thorough audit of database logs and web server logs to detect any suspicious activity or exploitation attempts. 5. Employ input validation and sanitization at the application level if custom code interacts with the plugin or its parameters. 6. Regularly back up databases and ensure backups are secure to enable recovery in case of compromise. 7. Educate site administrators about the risks of using outdated plugins and the importance of timely updates. 8. Consider temporarily disabling the plugin if it is not critical to site operations until a fix is available.