What the vulnerability does
01Description
The WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to generic SQL Injection via the 'wpma_metabox_authors_list' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 3.9.1 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database. Exploitation is a two-step chain: an attacker first saves a crafted guest-author token via the wpma_metabox_authors_list parameter during post creation or editing, then triggers the injection when any admin user loads the post list screen at /wp-admin/edit.php, causing the injected SQL result to be rendered in the Authors column.
Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms
02Summary
The WP Post Author plugin for WordPress contains a SQL injection vulnerability in versions up to 3.9.1. An authenticated user with low privileges can craft malicious input to execute arbitrary SQL queries against the site's database. This allows reading sensitive data such as user credentials, email addresses, and other stored information without modifying or deleting it.
What an attacker can do
03Attacker Capabilities
Read sensitive data from the site's database, including user credentials and private information.
Potential impact on your site
04Site Impact
User data, credentials, and private site information may be exposed to authenticated attackers with minimal privileges.
Conditions required to exploit
05Prerequisites
Attacker must have a low-privilege WordPress user account (e.g., subscriber or contributor role).
Key dates
06Disclosure timeline
August 5, 2026
CVE published
August 5, 2026
Record updated
