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Rest Routes EUVDEUVD-2026-68041

| CVE-2026-16061 HIGH
SQL Injection (CWE-89)
2026-08-29 WPScan GHSA-3ph3-5xv7-34mg
8.6
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: WPScan
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Identify WordPress site running Rest Routes
  2. Exploit
    Send crafted HTTP request to public REST endpoint
  3. Execution
    Inject SQL payload via unsanitized URL parameter
  4. Impact
    Retrieve sensitive WordPress 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

No authentication, user interaction, or special privileges are required; the vulnerable REST route is deliberately public-facing and accessible by design to unauthenticated HTTP clients. The sole prerequisite is that the Rest Routes plugin version 5.5.5 or earlier is installed and active on a network-reachable WordPress site. No non-default configuration is required to trigger the vulnerability. The primary limiting factor for exploitation is the plugin's installed base - only sites actively running this specific plugin are exposed. The CVSS confidentiality-only impact profile (C:H/I:N/A:N) with scope change suggests the injection enables read-only SQL operations (data exfiltration from the WordPress database) rather than data modification or remote code execution, which limits the severity of achievable impact per successful exploitation.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.6 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N) classifies this as high severity: remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low complexity, and a scope change indicating database access beyond the plugin's immediate trust boundary. The confidentiality-only impact (C:H/I:N/A:N) is consistent with a read-oriented SQL injection - likely SELECT-based data exfiltration rather than write or command execution, which caps practical damage compared to a full read-write injection. The publicly available PoC confirmed by WPScan lowers the skill barrier significantly. However, EPSS at 0.18% (7th percentile) is strikingly low for a no-auth network-exploitable SQLi with a PoC, strongly suggesting that the plugin's niche installed base - not technical difficulty - is the primary brake on widespread exploitation. The CVE is not in CISA KEV at time of analysis, consistent with targeted rather than mass exploitation. For any site actively running this plugin, the combination of zero-auth requirement, public REST exposure, and existing PoC makes exploitation straightforwardly plausible; the low EPSS should not be used to deprioritize remediation on affected instances.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated attacker discovers a WordPress site running Rest Routes by fingerprinting the REST API namespace and sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable public REST endpoint with SQL metacharacters injected into a URL parameter. The injected query causes the WordPress database to return sensitive records - including user credentials, email addresses, and stored plugin data - directly in the HTTP response or via time-based or error-based inference. A public proof-of-concept is available via WPScan, meaning this attack can be executed with minimal expertise.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

Unauthenticated SQL injection in the Rest Routes WordPress plugin (through version 5.5.5) allows any remote attacker to extract sensitive data from the underlying WordPress database by crafting a malicious request to a publicly accessible REST endpoint. The flaw stems from a URL-derived parameter being passed directly into a SQL query without sanitization or parameterization, requiring no authentication and no user interaction. A publicly available proof-of-concept exists per WPScan, though the EPSS score of 0.18% (7th percentile) indicates exploitation remains infrequent despite the PoC's accessibility.

RemediationAI

No specific patched version is identified in the available data; administrators should consult the WPScan advisory (https://wpscan.com/vulnerability/a5114034-797c-44cd-ba9b-6ab3655fd3e8/) and NVD entry (https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16061) for patch availability updates, and check the WordPress plugin repository for a release beyond 5.5.5 that addresses this issue. If no patch is available, the most effective immediate compensating control is deactivating or uninstalling the Rest Routes plugin entirely, eliminating the vulnerable REST endpoint from the attack surface. If the plugin functionality is operationally necessary, deploying a WAF rule targeting SQL injection patterns on the affected public REST route paths can reduce risk, though WAF bypass is feasible and should not substitute for a code-level fix. Enforcing authentication on the affected REST routes at the WordPress or server level would block unauthenticated access but would break the plugin's intended public-API functionality and requires careful testing before deployment.

Affected VersionsENISA

Rest Routes 0 ≤5.5.5

Affected Packages

euvd rest_routes no fix

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 vulnerability (CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command) affects the Rest Routes WordPress plugin, a REST API management and routing tool, through version 5.5.5. The root cause is classic unsanitized dynamic SQL construction: a value derived from the URL of a public REST route is concatenated into a SQL statement without prepared statements or input validation, allowing injection of arbitrary SQL syntax. WordPress REST API routes registered as public are reachable by any unauthenticated HTTP client by design, making this attack surface inherently externally exposed. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:unknown:rest_routes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* reflects an unregistered vendor in the NVD CPE dictionary, which may reduce detection coverage in automated asset-scanning tools that rely on CPE matching.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (WPScan) PRIMARY 8.6 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
vuln.today AI 8.6 HIGH

Public unauthenticated REST route requires no privileges or interaction; read-only SQL injection yields high database confidentiality impact with scope change to underlying WordPress DB.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (WPScan).

CVSS VectorVendor: WPScan

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

3
CVE Published
Aug 31, 2026 - 10:50 cve.org
HIGH 8.6
CVSS changed
Aug 30, 2026 - 01:22 NVD
8.6 (HIGH)
CVE Published
Aug 29, 2026 - 06:00 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

The Rest Routes WordPress plugin through 5.5.5 does not sanitize and validate a value taken from the URL of one of its public REST routes before using it in a SQL query, allowing unauthenticated attackers to perform SQL injection attacks.

Technical POC Analysis

CWE-89: SQL Injection.

Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 93% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche WordPress plugin, unregistered vendor, limited documented install base
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

63
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +43
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

SQL injection exploits the way applications construct database queries by mixing user input directly into SQL statements.

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