What the vulnerability does
01Description
The Apocalypse Meow plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to SQL Injection via the 'type' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 22.1.0. This is due to a flawed logical operator in the type validation check on line 261 of ajax.php — the condition uses `&&` (AND) instead of `||` (OR), causing the `in_array()` validation to be short-circuited and never evaluated for any non-empty type value. Combined with `stripslashes_deep()` being called on line 101 which removes `wp_magic_quotes()` protection, attacker-controlled single quotes pass through unescaped into the SQL query on line 298. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.
Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms
02Summary
Apocalypse Meow versions 22.1.0 and earlier contain a SQL injection vulnerability in a database query. An attacker with high-level privileges can craft malicious input to read sensitive data from the database without modifying or deleting records. The vulnerability requires administrative or equivalent access to exploit.
What an attacker can do
03Attacker Capabilities
Read sensitive data from the database by injecting SQL commands into a vulnerable query.
Potential impact on your site
04Site Impact
A privileged user or compromised admin account can extract sensitive database information without authorization.
Conditions required to exploit
05Prerequisites
Attacker must have high-level privileges (admin or equivalent role) on the site.
Key dates
06Disclosure timeline
March 5, 2026
CVE published
April 8, 2026
Record updated
