CVE-2026-73391 in Total Donations Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/19/2026
Unauthenticated SQL Injection in Total Donations <= 2.0.5 versions.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2026
The vulnerability identified as an unauthenticated SQL injection flaw within the Total Donations plugin, specifically affecting versions up to and including 2.0.5, represents a critical security deficiency that allows attackers to interact directly with the underlying database without requiring valid credentials or prior authentication. This type of vulnerability is particularly severe because it bypasses standard access controls, enabling any remote actor on the internet to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the application's backend infrastructure. The root cause typically lies in the improper handling of user-supplied input within HTTP requests that are processed by the plugin’s public-facing endpoints or API interfaces before sanitization or parameterized query mechanisms can be applied. By injecting maliciously crafted SQL syntax into these inputs, an attacker can manipulate database queries to retrieve sensitive data, modify existing records, or potentially execute administrative operations depending on the privileges of the database user account associated with the web application.
From a technical perspective, this flaw aligns directly with CWE-89, which defines Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command, commonly known as SQL Injection. The absence of authentication requirements elevates the severity significantly under frameworks such as OWASP Top 10, where it falls under A3:2021-Injection and potentially impacts data integrity and confidentiality. In practical terms, this vulnerability allows for a wide range of exploitation scenarios including full database extraction via UNION-based techniques, blind SQL injection to infer information bit-by-bit through boolean or time-based payloads, and in some configurations, the ability to write files to the server if specific database functions are enabled and permissions allow it. The lack of authentication means that automated scanning tools can easily discover and exploit this weakness across thousands of installations without needing to bypass login screens or session management systems.
The operational impact of such a vulnerability is profound for organizations relying on Total Donations for managing charitable contributions, membership fees, or other financial transactions. Successful exploitation could lead to the exfiltration of personally identifiable information (PII) from donors, including names, email addresses, and potentially payment details if stored in plaintext or weakly encrypted formats within the database. Beyond data theft, attackers may alter donation records, delete transaction history, or deface website content by modifying table entries directly through SQL commands. This compromises not only the confidentiality but also the integrity and availability of critical business operations, leading to potential regulatory penalties under laws like GDPR or CCPA due to unauthorized access to personal data. Furthermore, if the database server is configured with excessive privileges, an attacker might escalate their position within the network by leveraging the database engine’s capabilities to execute operating system commands, thereby gaining full control over the web server and potentially pivoting to other internal systems.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate remediation through software updates as well as defensive coding practices for any custom implementations. The most effective solution is to upgrade Total Donations to a version later than 2.0.5 where this vulnerability has been patched by implementing proper input validation, output encoding, and the use of prepared statements with parameterized queries instead of concatenating user input directly into SQL strings. For organizations unable to update immediately due to compatibility constraints or other operational reasons, temporary mitigations include deploying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) configured with rulesets specifically tuned to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in HTTP requests targeting the plugin’s endpoints. Additionally, enforcing principle of least privilege on database accounts ensures that even if an injection occurs, the attacker cannot perform destructive actions such as dropping tables or accessing unrelated databases. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that input sanitization is robust across all public-facing interfaces provided by the application.