CVE-2024-9022 identifies a SQL Injection vulnerability in the TS Poll – Survey, Versus Poll, Image Poll, Video Poll plugin for WordPress, maintained by totalsoft. The flaw exists in all versions up to and including 2.3.9 and is caused by insufficient escaping and lack of prepared statements for the 'orderby' parameter in SQL queries. This parameter is user-supplied and not properly sanitized, enabling attackers with Administrator-level access to append arbitrary SQL commands to existing queries. Such injection can lead to unauthorized data extraction, modification, or deletion within the WordPress database. The vulnerability does not require user interaction but does require authenticated access with high privileges, which somewhat limits the attack surface. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.2 (high), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, high privileges required, and significant impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a serious risk to affected sites. The root cause is a classic CWE-89 SQL Injection due to improper neutralization of special SQL elements, highlighting a failure in secure coding practices around dynamic SQL query construction. Mitigation requires patching or applying secure coding fixes such as parameterized queries and rigorous input validation.

This vulnerability allows attackers with Administrator-level access to execute arbitrary SQL commands on the backend database, potentially leading to full compromise of the WordPress site's data. The impact includes unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information (e.g., user data, credentials), data tampering, and possible denial of service through database corruption or deletion. Since the attack requires high privileges, the risk is primarily from insider threats or compromised administrator accounts. However, once exploited, the attacker can escalate damage significantly, undermining data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Organizations relying on this plugin for surveys or polls risk exposure of customer data and operational disruption. The vulnerability could also be leveraged as a foothold for further attacks within the hosting environment. Given WordPress's widespread use, the potential scale of impact is substantial if exploited at scale.

1. Immediately update the TS Poll plugin to a fixed version once released by totalsoft. Monitor vendor communications for patches. 2. If a patch is not yet available, restrict Administrator-level access strictly to trusted personnel and enforce strong authentication controls to reduce risk of account compromise. 3. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious SQL injection patterns targeting the 'orderby' parameter. 4. Conduct code review and refactor the plugin’s SQL query construction to use parameterized queries or prepared statements, eliminating direct concatenation of user input. 5. Enable database logging and monitoring to detect anomalous queries indicative of injection attempts. 6. Regularly audit user privileges and remove unnecessary Administrator accounts. 7. Backup WordPress databases frequently to enable recovery in case of data corruption or deletion. 8. Educate administrators on the risks of SQL injection and the importance of secure plugin management. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on immediate access control, monitoring, and code-level remediation specific to this plugin’s vulnerability.