CVE-2024-13481 identifies a critical SQL Injection vulnerability in the 'LTL Freight Quotes – R+L Carriers Edition' WordPress plugin developed by enituretechnology. This plugin, widely used for freight quoting in logistics, suffers from improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands (CWE-89). Specifically, the vulnerability exists in the handling of the 'edit_id' and 'dropship_edit_id' parameters, which are not properly escaped or prepared before being incorporated into SQL queries. This allows an unauthenticated attacker to append arbitrary SQL code to existing queries, potentially extracting sensitive data from the backend database. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 3.3.4. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.5, with vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, and high confidentiality impact without affecting integrity or availability. Although no active exploits have been reported, the vulnerability's nature makes it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise WordPress sites using this plugin. The lack of patches or official fixes at the time of publication increases the urgency for mitigation. The plugin’s role in freight quoting means compromised data could include sensitive business and customer information, impacting operational security and privacy.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-13481 is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information stored in the backend database of affected WordPress sites. Attackers can leverage this SQL Injection flaw to extract confidential data such as customer details, freight quotes, pricing information, and potentially credentials or configuration data if stored in the same database. This breach of confidentiality can lead to financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory compliance violations, especially in industries handling sensitive logistics data. Since the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, attackers cannot directly modify or disrupt services, but the exposure of sensitive data alone is critical. The ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the risk of widespread automated attacks. Organizations relying on this plugin for freight quoting services may face targeted attacks aiming to steal competitive business intelligence or customer data. Additionally, compromised sites could be used as footholds for further network intrusion or lateral movement within corporate environments.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting access to the vulnerable parameters ('edit_id' and 'dropship_edit_id') through web server or application-level controls, such as IP whitelisting or authentication enforcement. 2. Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with robust SQL Injection detection and prevention rules tailored to block malicious payloads targeting these parameters. 3. Monitor database query logs for unusual or unexpected SQL commands that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4. If possible, disable or remove the 'LTL Freight Quotes – R+L Carriers Edition' plugin until a vendor patch is released. 5. Engage with the vendor or community to obtain updates or patches addressing this vulnerability as soon as they become available. 6. Conduct a thorough security audit of affected WordPress installations to identify any signs of compromise. 7. Educate site administrators on the risks of installing plugins without timely updates and encourage regular vulnerability scanning. 8. Consider implementing parameterized queries or prepared statements in custom code to prevent similar SQL Injection flaws in the future.