afthemes WP Post Author Plugin up to 3.9.1 on WordPress /wp-admin/edit.php wpma_metabox_authors_list sql injection

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical has been found in afthemes WP Post Author Plugin up to 3.9.1. This affects an unknown function of the file /wp-admin/edit.php. This manipulation of the argument wpma_metabox_authors_list causes sql injection. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-11977. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. There is no exploit available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical was found in afthemes WP Post Author Plugin up to 3.9.1. Affected by this vulnerability is some unknown processing of the file /wp-admin/edit.php. The manipulation of the argument wpma_metabox_authors_list with an unknown input leads to a sql injection vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-89. The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

The WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to generic SQL Injection via the 'wpma_metabox_authors_list' parameter in all versions up to, and including, 3.9.1 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with author-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database. Exploitation is a two-step chain: an attacker first saves a crafted guest-author token via the wpma_metabox_authors_list parameter during post creation or editing, then triggers the injection when any admin user loads the post list screen at /wp-admin/edit.php, causing the injected SQL result to be rendered in the Authors column.

It is possible to read the advisory at wordfence.com. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2026-11977 since 06/11/2026. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be launched remotely. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 08/05/2026). The attack technique deployed by this issue is T1505 according to MITRE ATT&CK.

By approaching the search of inurl:wp-admin/edit.php it is possible to find vulnerable targets with Google Hacking.

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

• WordPress Plugin

Vendor

• afthemes

Name

• WP Post Author Plugin

Version

• 3.9.0
• 3.9.1

CPE 2.3info

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• 🔒

CPE 2.2info

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• 🔒

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Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

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