Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessAuthenticate as high-privilege user
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DeliverySubmit crafted input to vulnerable plugin parameter
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ExploitTrigger blind SQL injection in query
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ExecutionInfer data via boolean/time-based responses
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ImpactExfiltrate sensitive database records
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Parameterized queries, prepared statements
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Persistence The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires an authenticated session with high privileges (PR:H per the CVSS vector) on a WordPress site running Link Whisper Free version 0.9.7 or earlier; the plugin must be installed and active. No user interaction by a victim is needed (UI:N) and the attack is reachable over the network (AV:N), but the high-privilege authentication requirement is the primary limiting factor - this is not remotely exploitable by anonymous users. The exact vulnerable feature/parameter is not named in the advisory data provided, which limits precise pre-condition identification. |
| Impact | This is a moderate-priority issue rather than an urgent one. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.6 is driven largely by the scope-change flag (S:C) and network attack vector (AV:N/AC:L), but the vector also specifies PR:H - meaning a high-privilege, authenticated account is required, which substantially narrows the real-world attacker pool for a WordPress plugin. No EPSS score, CISA KEV listing, or public POC is present in the supplied data, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active exploitation. The signals are internally consistent (blind SQLi mapped to CWE-89, C:H/I:N/A:L reflecting data disclosure with limited integrity/availability effect), but the S:C (scope changed) assertion is questionable for an in-application SQL injection and should be treated with caution - Patchstack-sourced WordPress vectors frequently mark S:C where a conventional same-security-authority SQLi would be S:U, which would lower the score. Because PR:H gates the flaw behind an already-privileged user, realistic risk is best described as insider/compromised-credential data exposure rather than mass remote exploitation. Note the SSVC framework inputs (exploitation status, automatable, technical impact) were not provided, so an SSVC decision cannot be rendered from this data. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An authenticated high-privilege user (or an attacker who has obtained such credentials via phishing or reuse) submits crafted input to a vulnerable plugin parameter that is concatenated into a SQL query. Because the injection is blind, the attacker infers database contents through boolean or time-based responses, progressively extracting sensitive data such as user records or secrets from the WordPress database. No public POC is identified in the provided data, so exploitation would require manual development against the 0.9.7-and-earlier codebase. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026
Blind SQL injection in the Link Whisper Free WordPress plugin (versions through 0.9.7) allows an attacker who already holds a high-privilege, authenticated WordPress session to inject SQL through an unneutralized plugin input, reading database contents back through boolean- or time-based inference. Exploitation requires the plugin to be installed and active plus high-privilege access (PR:H in the CVSS vector), so anonymous visitors cannot reach it; the assessed impact is high confidentiality loss with limited integrity effect, making this a moderate-priority issue rather than an urgent one. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and the vulnerability is not confirmed as actively exploited (no CISA KEV listing).
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch version is identified in the available data, so the primary action is to check the Patchstack advisory (https://patchstack.com/database/wordpress/plugin/link-whisper/vulnerability/wordpress-link-whisper-free-plugin-0-9-7-sql-injection-vulnerability?_s_id=cve) and the plugin's WordPress.org page for a fixed release and upgrade to it as soon as one is published; until then, deactivating and removing Link Whisper Free eliminates the attack surface entirely, with the trade-off of losing its internal-linking features. If the plugin must stay active, restrict the exposure that makes this exploitable: audit and reduce the number of Administrator/Editor-level accounts, enforce least privilege and strong unique credentials plus MFA on those accounts, since the injection requires a high-privilege authenticated session and cannot be triggered by anonymous users. Deploy a WAF or virtual-patching rule that inspects requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php and plugin admin endpoints for SQL metacharacters in parameters, accepting that generic SQLi rules can produce false positives against legitimate admin traffic and do not fix the underlying flaw. Review database and web server logs for anomalous requests to Link Whisper admin endpoints from unusual sessions, and treat any credential exposure on administrator accounts as a potential precursor to exploitation of this issue.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The root cause is CWE-89, improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command, in a WordPress plugin. WordPress plugins typically build queries against the wp_* tables (here the Link Whisper link-indexing/reporting tables) by concatenating request-supplied values rather than using $wpdb->prepare() with placeholders, which allows attacker-controlled fragments to alter query logic. Because the injection is described as blind, the attacker does not see query output directly and instead reconstructs data through conditional responses or timing delays - a technique that is slower and noisier than classic UNION-based SQLi but equally capable of exfiltrating table contents. The CPE record cpe:2.3:a:link_whisper_inc:link_whisper_free:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* identifies the affected package as the Link Whisper Free plugin from Link Whisper INC, distributed through the WordPress.org plugin directory under the slug link-whisper, with all versions up to and including 0.9.7 in scope. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N) indicates the injection endpoint is reachable over HTTP but sits behind an authenticated, high-privilege context - consistent with a plugin administrative page or an admin-ajax.php action gated by a capability check such as manage_options. The specific vulnerable parameter and feature are not named in the available advisory data, which limits precise identification of the pre-conditions beyond the authentication requirement.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:L
Authenticated high-privilege access gives PR:H; blind SQLi yields high confidentiality (C:H) with limited integrity (I:L) and no availability impact; scope assessed unchanged (S:U) as injection stays within the DB security authority.
Primary rating from Vendor (Patchstack).
CVSS VectorVendor: Patchstack
DescriptionCVE.org
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in Link Whisper INC Link Whisper Free link-whisper allows Blind SQL Injection.This issue affects Link Whisper Free: from n/a through 0.9.7.
Articles & Coverage 1
Executive ViewAI
A blind SQL injection flaw in the Link Whisper Free WordPress plugin (versions through 0.9.7) would let someone holding an already-privileged WordPress account read the site's database contents, including user records and content, through the plugin's input handling. Because the CVSS vector requires high privileges (PR:H), anonymous visitors and low-privileged users cannot reach the flaw directly - the realistic risk comes from trusted insiders, compromised administrator credentials, or over-provisioned accounts. Leadership should care that no vendor-released patch is available at time of analysis, so exposure persists until the plugin is removed or replaced, and that privileged-account abuse of this kind is quiet and easily overlooked.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis; interim mitigations are to deactivate or remove Link Whisper Free on versions through 0.9.7 where feasible, restrict wp-admin and plugin endpoint access via IP allowlisting, enforce least privilege and MFA for all high-privilege WordPress accounts, rotate credentials for those accounts, deploy WAF rules targeting boolean- and time-based SQL injection on plugin inputs, and enable database query logging with monitoring for anomalous read patterns.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
SQL injection exploits the way applications construct database queries by mixing user input directly into SQL statements.
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EUVD-2026-98371
GHSA-h5p4-78h6-888c
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB