CVE Tools
Sign in

CVE-2022-21661

SQL injection in WordPress

Published: Jan 6, 2022Updated: Aug 19, 2025 Sources: CVE List NVD BDUCWE-89
NVD MITRE
8.0CVSSHIGH
EPSS Score
97.8%
Top 0.1%
CISA KEV
Not in KEV
Exploits
4 Known
Remediation
Patch Available
Am I actually vulnerable?2 Nuclei templates available — see how to check your systems. How to verify

Description

WordPress is a free and open-source content management system written in PHP and paired with a MariaDB database. Due to improper sanitization in WP_Query, there can be cases where SQL injection is possible through plugins or themes that use it in a certain way. This has been patched in WordPress version 5.8.3. Older affected versions are also fixed via security release, that go back till 3.7.37. We strongly recommend that you keep auto-updates enabled. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

CVSS Vector Breakdown

AV:NAC:HPR:HUI:NS:CC:HI:HA:H
Exploitability
AV:NAttack Vector
Network
AC:HAttack Complexity
High
PR:HPrivileges Required
High
UI:NUser Interaction
None
Scope
S:CScope
Changed
Impact
C:HConfidentiality
High
I:HIntegrity
High
A:HAvailability
High
Open in CVSS calculator →

Weaknesses

CWE-89

Affected Products

wordpresswordpress
On-premWeb App
Web & CMS Plugins / cms-core
fedorafedoraproject
On-premOS
Operating Systems / linux-distro
debian linuxdebian
On-premOS
Operating Systems / linux-distro
Debian GNU/LinuxСообщество свободного программного обеспечения
On-premOS
Operating Systems / linux-distro
FedoraFedora Project
On-premOS
Operating Systems / linux-distro
wordpressoss-projectUSWeb & CMS Pluginsaka wp, wordpress.org, wordpress mu
fedoraprojectoss-projectUSOperating Systemsaka fedora project
debianoss-projectGBOperating Systemsaka debian gnu/linux
сообщество свободного программного обеспеченияoss-projectOperating Systemsaka сообщество свободного программного обеспечения, fsf
fedora projectoss-projectUSOperating Systemsaka fedora
and 2 more affected products View all →

Attack Graph

Products CVE Techniques Tactics

Click technique nodes to view MITRE ATT&CK details. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan.

Exploitability

4 exploit sources identified

Exploit details including PoC links, Metasploit modules, and scanner templates are available after registration.

View exploit details
Official Patch Available

MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique
Initial Access
View detailed technique mapping

References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/165540/WordPress-Core-5.8.2-SQL-Injection.html
packetstormsecurity.com
https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/commit/17efac8c8ec64555eff5cf51a3eff81e06317214
github.com
https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/security/advisories/GHSA-6676-cqfm-gw84
github.com
and 11 more references View all →

Timeline

Published
Jan 6, 2022
Last Updated
Aug 19, 2025

Unlock Complete Vulnerability Intelligence

Get the full picture for CVE-2022-21661 and every CVE in our database. Create a free account — no credit card required.

Create Free Account
Plain-language analysis
Impact assessment and exploitation scenario in plain English
Attack graph visualization
Interactive attack path and kill chain mapping
Exploit details & PoC links
ExploitDB, Metasploit, GitHub PoCs with direct links
Nuclei scanner templates
Ready-to-use vulnerability scanner templates
Full remediation guide
Patch instructions, workarounds, and compliance impact
Interactive AI chat
Ask questions about this vulnerability in natural language
Related vulnerabilities
Semantically similar CVEs and attack patterns
REST API & MCP access
Integrate vulnerability data into your workflows