Skip to content
OpenAdvisories

Weakness (CWE)

CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command

Base

The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data.

How to prevent it (8 mitigations)
  1. Architecture and Design

    Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid [REF-1482].

    For example, consider using persistence layers such as Hibernate or Enterprise Java Beans, which can provide significant protection against SQL injection if used properly.

  2. Architecture and Design

    If available, use structured mechanisms that automatically enforce the separation between data and code. These mechanisms may be able to provide the relevant quoting, encoding, and validation automatically, instead of relying on the developer to provide this capability at every point where output is generated.

    Process SQL queries using prepared statements, parameterized queries, or stored procedures. These features should accept parameters or variables and support strong typing. Do not dynamically construct and execute query strings within these features using "exec" or similar functionality, since this may re-introduce the possibility of SQL injection. [REF-867]

  3. Architecture and Design, Operation

    Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks [REF-76]. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.

    Specifically, follow the principle of least privilege when creating user accounts to a SQL database. The database users should only have the minimum privileges necessary to use their account. If the requirements of the system indicate that a user can read and modify their own data, then limit their privileges so they cannot read/write others' data. Use the strictest permissions possible on all database objects, such as execute-only for stored procedures.

  4. Architecture and Design

    For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.

  5. Implementation

    While it is risky to use dynamically-generated query strings, code, or commands that mix control and data together, sometimes it may be unavoidable. Properly quote arguments and escape any special characters within those arguments. The most conservative approach is to escape or filter all characters that do not pass an extremely strict allowlist (such as everything that is not alphanumeric or white space). If some special characters are still needed, such as white space, wrap each argument in quotes after the escaping/filtering step. Be careful of argument injection (CWE-88).

    Instead of building a new implementation, such features may be available in the database or programming language. For example, the Oracle DBMS_ASSERT package can check or enforce that parameters have certain properties that make them less vulnerable to SQL injection. For MySQL, the mysql_real_escape_string() API function is available in both C and PHP.

  6. Implementation

    Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.

    When performing input validation, consider all potentially relevant properties, including length, type of input, the full range of acceptable values, missing or extra inputs, syntax, consistency across related fields, and conformance to business rules. As an example of business rule logic, "boat" may be syntactically valid because it only contains alphanumeric characters, but it is not valid if the input is only expected to contain colors such as "red" or "blue."

    Do not rely exclusively on looking for malicious or malformed inputs. This is likely to miss at least one undesirable input, especially if the code's environment changes. This can give attackers enough room to bypass the intended validation. However, denylists can be useful for detecting potential attacks or determining which inputs are so malformed that they should be rejected outright.

    When constructing SQL query strings, use stringent allowlists that limit the character set based on the expected value of the parameter in the request. This will indirectly limit the scope of an attack, but this technique is less important than proper output encoding and escaping.

    Note that proper output encoding, escaping, and quoting is the most effective solution for preventing SQL injection, although input validation may provide some defense-in-depth. This is because it effectively limits what will appear in output. Input validation will not always prevent SQL injection, especially if you are required to support free-form text fields that could contain arbitrary characters. For example, the name "O'Reilly" would likely pass the validation step, since it is a common last name in the English language. However, it cannot be directly inserted into the database because it contains the "'" apostrophe character, which would need to be escaped or otherwise handled. In this case, stripping the apostrophe might reduce the risk of SQL injection, but it would produce incorrect behavior because the wrong name would be recorded.

    When feasible, it may be safest to disallow meta-characters entirely, instead of escaping them. This will provide some defense in depth. After the data is entered into the database, later processes may neglect to escape meta-characters before use, and you may not have control over those processes.

  7. Architecture and Design

    When the set of acceptable objects, such as filenames or URLs, is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames or URLs, and reject all other inputs.

  8. Implementation

    Ensure that error messages only contain minimal details that are useful to the intended audience and no one else. The messages need to strike the balance between being too cryptic (which can confuse users) or being too detailed (which may reveal more than intended). The messages should not reveal the methods that were used to determine the error. Attackers can use detailed information to refine or optimize their original attack, thereby increasing their chances of success.

    If errors must be captured in some detail, record them in log messages, but consider what could occur if the log messages can be viewed by attackers. Highly sensitive information such as passwords should never be saved to log files.

    Avoid inconsistent messaging that might accidentally tip off an attacker about internal state, such as whether a user account exists or not.

    In the context of SQL Injection, error messages revealing the structure of a SQL query can help attackers tailor successful attack strings.

Source: MITRE CWE-89

13,971 results · Feed

  • High 8.5

    WordPress GamiPress plugin <= 7.8.7 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Subscriber SQL Injection in GamiPress <= 7.8.7 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress Realtyna Organic IDX plugin plugin <= 5.1.0 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Realtyna Organic IDX plugin <= 5.1.0 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress WP Data Access plugin <= 5.5.70 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in WP Data Access <= 5.5.70 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress GD Rating System plugin <= 3.6.2 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in GD Rating System <= 3.6.2 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce plugin <= 4.5.1 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce <= 4.5.1 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress Funnel Builder by FunnelKit plugin <= 3.15.0.1 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Funnel Builder by FunnelKit <= 3.15.0.1 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress wpForo Forum plugin <= 3.0.4 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in wpForo Forum <= 3.0.4 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress Contest Gallery plugin <= 28.1.6 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Contest Gallery <= 28.1.6 versions.

  • High 8.5

    WordPress MasterStudy LMS plugin <= 3.7.25 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Subscriber SQL Injection in MasterStudy LMS <= 3.7.25 versions.

  • High 7.5

    WordPress WPGraphQL plugin < 2.11.1 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in WPGraphQL < 2.11.1 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress SpeakOut! Email Petitions plugin <= 4.6.5 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in SpeakOut! Email Petitions <= 4.6.5 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress GeekyBot plugin <= 1.2.0 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in GeekyBot <= 1.2.0 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress GeoDirectory plugin <= 2.8.152 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in GeoDirectory <= 2.8.152 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress WP Photo Album Plus plugin <= 9.1.08.001 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in WP Photo Album Plus <= 9.1.08.001 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress Form Maker by 10Web plugin <= 1.15.38 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Form Maker by 10Web <= 1.15.38 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress Simply Schedule Appointments plugin <= 1.6.9.27 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Simply Schedule Appointments <= 1.6.9.27 versions.

  • Critical 9.3
    CVE-2026-39492 Public exploit

    WordPress WP Maps plugin <= 4.9.1 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in WP Maps <= 4.9.1 versions.

  • Critical 9.3

    WordPress Feed KuantoKusta for WooCommerce – Free plugin <= 5.3 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Feed KuantoKusta for WooCommerce – Free <= 5.3 versions.

  • High 8.5

    WordPress PowerPress Podcasting plugin <= 11.15.10 - SQL Injection vulnerability

    Contributor SQL Injection in PowerPress Podcasting <= 11.15.10 versions.

  • Critical 9.8

    Metacat has an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability

    Metacat is data repository software that helps researchers preserve, share, and discover data. Versions 2.0.0 and and above contain an unauthenticated SQL injection in the /harvesterRegistration endpoint. HarvesterRegistration.dbInsert() builds an INSERT agai…

  • High 8.2

    WordPress Booking Calendar Contact Form 1.0.23 SQL Injection

    WordPress Booking Calendar Contact Form version 1.0.23 contains an unauthenticated blind SQL injection vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the 'id' parameter. Attackers can send reque…

  • High 7.1

    WordPress Sliced Invoices 3.8.2 SQL Injection via post Parameter

    WordPress Sliced Invoices 3.8.2 contains an authenticated SQL injection vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers to manipulate database queries by injecting SQL code through the 'post' parameter. Attackers can send requests to the admin.php endpoint …

  • High 8.2

    Answer My Question 1.3 Plugin WordPress SQL Injection via modal.php

    Answer My Question 1.3 plugin for WordPress contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the 'id' POST parameter. Attackers can submit crafted SQL statements…

  • High 8.2

    BBS e-Franchise 1.1.1 WordPress Plugin SQL Injection via uid

    BBS e-Franchise 1.1.1 plugin for WordPress contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the uid parameter. Attackers can craft requests to pages using the pl…

  • High 8.2

    WordPress 404 Redirection Manager Plugin 1.0 SQL Injection

    The 404 Redirection Manager plugin version 1.0 for WordPress contains an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through unsanitized user input. Attackers can craft …

  • High 8.2

    WordPress Booking Calendar Contact Form 1.0.23 SQL Injection

    WordPress Booking Calendar Contact Form 1.0.23 contains an unauthenticated blind SQL injection vulnerability in the shortcode function that fails to sanitize the calendar parameter before using it in database queries. Attackers can inject SQL commands through…

  • Medium 6.3

    Grit42 Grit data_table_entity.rb DataTableEntity sql injection

    A vulnerability was identified in Grit42 Grit up to 0.11.0. This issue affects the function Grit::Assays::DataTableEntity of the file modules/assays/backend/app/models/grit/assays/data_table_entity.rb. The manipulation leads to sql injection. The attack is po…

  • Critical 9.8

    Bernd Bestel grocy v4.6.0 was discovered to contain a SQL injection vulnerability in the product-group parameter at /st…

  • Critical 9.8

    Datadog, Inc Vector v0.54.0 was discovered to contain a SQL injection vulnerability in the set_uri_query parameter in t…

  • Critical 9.8
    CVE-2026-38812 Public exploit

    RuoYi v4.8.2 is vulnerable to SQL Injection via the /tool/gen/createTable endpoint. The issue affects the code generati…

  • High 8.8
    CVE-2026-36670 Public exploit

    A Time-Based Blind SQL Injection vulnerability in the alias_management module of OpenSIPS Control Panel (opensips-cp) p…

  • Medium 6.3

    Grit42 Grit GritEntityController grit_entity_controller.rb sql injection

    A vulnerability was detected in Grit42 Grit up to 0.11.0. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the file modules/core/backend/app/controllers/concerns/grit/core/grit_entity_controller.rb of the component GritEntityController. Performing a ma…

  • Medium 4.7

    CodeAstro Student Attendance Management System createStudents.php sql injection

    A vulnerability was detected in CodeAstro Student Attendance Management System 1.0. Impacted is an unknown function of the file /attendance-php/Admin/createStudents.php. Performing a manipulation of the argument admissionNumber results in sql injection. Remot…

  • High 7.6

    Koha SQL Injection in reports/catalogue_out.pl via Filter URL Parameter

    SQL Injection in reports/catalogue_out.pl in Koha Community Koha through 22.11.37, 23.x, 24.x before 24.11.16, 25.05.x before 25.05.11, 25.11.x before 25.11.05, 26.05.x before 26.05.01, and 26.11.x before 26.11.00 allows an authenticated staff user with the R…

  • High 7.5
    CVE-2026-9848 Public exploit Scanner template

    WP Ticket <= 6.0.4 - Unauthenticated SQL Injection via WordPress Search 's' Parameter

    The WP Ticket plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to SQL Injection via the WordPress search query parameter (`s`) in versions up to, and including, 6.0.4 The plugin hooks WordPress's `posts_request` filter with `wp_ticket_com_posts_request()`, which calls `emd…

  • Medium 6.3

    CodeAstro Human Resource Management System Payroll Invoice Payroll.php sql injection

    A weakness has been identified in CodeAstro Human Resource Management System 1.0. This vulnerability affects the function Invoice of the file \application\controllers\Payroll.php of the component Payroll Invoice Module. This manipulation of the argument ID ca…

  • Medium 6.9

    MariaDB: mysql_real_escape_string() incorrectly handled big5

    MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. In versions 3.3.18 and 3.4.8, an application that was taking non-validated user input, escaping it with mysql_real_escape_string() and sending it to the database using text protocol and big5 charac…

  • Medium 6.9

    Frappe Vulnerable to Possible SQL Injection via get_blog_list

    Frappe is a full-stack web application framework. Prior to versions 15.106.0 and 16.16.0, there is a possible SQL Injection via get_blog_list. This issue has been patched in versions 15.106.0 and 16.16.0.

  • High 7.1

    SQL injection vulnerability in phpBB profile field migration due to improper handling of user-supplied profile field da…

  • Critical 9.8

    ClipBucket: Blind SQL Injection in progress_video.php

    ClipBucket v5 is an open source video sharing platform. Prior to version 5.5.3 - #129, the actions/progress_video.php endpoint is vulnerable to blind SQL injection. Any unauthenticated user can exploit the ids parameter to execute SQL queries and exfiltrate s…