CVE-2026-93527 in Live Copy Paste Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 09/23/2026
Contributor SQL Injection in Live Copy Paste for Elementor <= 1.5.10 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2026
The vulnerability identified as Contributor SQL Injection in the Live Copy Paste feature of Elementor prior to version 1.5.10 represents a critical security flaw within one of the most widely used website building platforms on WordPress. This specific component allows users with contributor-level access or higher to duplicate content from existing pages and paste it into new drafts, streamlining workflow for web designers and developers. However, the implementation of this feature failed to adequately sanitize user-supplied input before constructing SQL queries executed against the database backend. The flaw stems directly from a lack of proper parameterization or escaping mechanisms when handling data retrieved during the copy-paste operation, specifically involving metadata associated with page elements such as post IDs, widget configurations, and template structures.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-89 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command commonly known as SQL Injection. The attacker can manipulate specific parameters within the HTTP request payload sent to the WordPress admin interface during the live copy paste process. By injecting malicious SQL syntax into these fields, a low-privileged user can alter the logic of database queries executed by the application. This manipulation allows for unauthorized data retrieval, modification, or deletion from the underlying MySQL database that powers the WordPress installation. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it does not require administrative privileges to exploit, thereby expanding the attack surface significantly within any environment where multiple users have contributor access.
The operational impact of this SQL injection vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft. An attacker can potentially extract sensitive information such as administrator usernames and password hashes stored in the wp_users table, leading to full account compromise if weak credentials are used. Furthermore, through advanced techniques like blind SQL injection or time-based extraction, an attacker could enumerate database schema details, identify other tables containing proprietary business logic or customer data, and even attempt to write files to the server disk depending on the specific configuration of the MySQL instance and its privileges. This can lead to complete site defacement, persistent backdoor installation via file writes if permitted by the SQL command structure, or denial of service through resource-intensive queries that degrade server performance.
This vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter when considering how injected payloads might be chained for further exploitation, although the primary classification remains under data exfiltration techniques such as T1213 Data from Information Repositories. The lack of input validation in a feature that processes complex nested JSON-like structures typical of Elementor widgets creates an ideal vector for injection attacks. Attackers can craft sophisticated payloads using UNION SELECT statements to retrieve multiple columns of data or utilize boolean-based logic to infer database contents byte by byte without triggering immediate error messages, making detection difficult through standard logging mechanisms unless specific anomaly detection is in place.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize the immediate upgrade of Elementor to version 1.5.10 or later where this issue has been resolved through rigorous input sanitization and output encoding practices. For environments unable to patch immediately due to compatibility constraints, implementing a Web Application Firewall with rules specifically tuned for SQL injection patterns targeting WordPress admin endpoints can provide temporary protection. Additionally, enforcing strict least-privilege principles by limiting contributor access to only those who absolutely require it reduces the potential attack surface. Database-level monitoring should also be enabled to detect unusual query patterns or high-volume read operations that may indicate an active exploitation attempt in progress.