CVE-2026-5097

wpForo Forum <= 2.4.17 - Unauthenticated SQL Injection via 'referer' Parameter

2026-08-27 00:00

Strategic Overview

Status: Patched in 3.0.0
Affected Plugin: wpForo Forum
Affected Version: <= 2.4.17
CVSS: 7.5High
Weakness type: CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
CVE: CVE-2026-5097

At a glance

CVE-2026-5097 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in the wpForo Forum WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 2.4.17. It carries a CVSS score of 7.5 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 3.0.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2026, reported by Leonid Semenenko (lsemenenko).

Vulnerability Overview

The wpForo Forum plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to SQL Injection via the 'referer' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 2.4.17. This is due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality.

CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')

wpForo Forum <= 2.4.17 carries this weakness at referer, and reaching it takes no account at all. SQL injection happens when request data is concatenated into a query instead of being bound as a parameter, letting an attacker change the structure of the statement rather than just its values.

A working injection can read any table the database user can see, which on a WordPress install means user records, password hashes and session or API secrets stored in options. For wpForo Forum the fix is 3.0.0: builds <= 2.4.17 are affected, anything from 3.0.0 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.0.0, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. None of that substitutes for the fix: wpForo Forum 3.0.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

Firewall
Login Security
Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-5097 https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/bf0eab48-ef8b-4578-8a9a-c48e09cb29f7 https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-5097

Related records

Same weakness class

Other vulnerabilities in wpForo Forum

CVSS Vector

7.5

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Base

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

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