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WPML Multilingual CMS - Security Vulnerability (CVE-2026-17509)

CVE-2026-17509

The WPML Multilingual CMS plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to time-based SQL Injection via the ‘elementIds’ parameter in all versions up to, and including, 4.9.5 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 Subscriber-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database. This vulnerability is exploitable due to an authorization bypass where the registered authorization callback fails to execute, allowing any authenticated user regardless of role to access administrative translation functionalities.

CVE-2026-17509

MEDIUM CVSS 6.5 Published 2026-09-08 Updated 2026-09-08
AI Risk Elevated (64/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: No public exploit references Priority: P3 Priority
Severity Band MEDIUM
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Affected Components 1
Reference Links 2
AI Risk Engine Elevated (64/100)
Exploitability High
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status No public exploit references

Threat Timeline

  1. 2026-09-08 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2026-09-08 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-09-08 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 22 hours ago

AI enriched 22 hours ago (2026-09-08 22:28 UTC)

Technical Summary

The WPML Multilingual CMS plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to time-based SQL Injection via the ‘elementIds’ parameter in all versions up to, and including, 4.9.5 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 Subscriber-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database. This vulnerability is exploitable…

Potential Impact

Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 6.5). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as High based on remote code execution potential.

Primary risk drivers: remote code execution potential

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

AI risk score 64/100 (Elevated, High) with priority P3 Priority. Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

WPML Multilingual CMS PLUGIN · wpml-multilingual-cms Affected: >= 0, <= 4.9.5 Fixed version not specified

References

What to do about this

Patch promptly The consequence is significant even where an attacker needs a foothold first.

Fix it

Update WPML Multilingual CMS to the latest available version.

Where the vendor has not published a fix yet, disable the plugin until they do.

Cannot update today? Request / payload inspection (WAF) in Hack Halt ProSecure blocks this class of attack before WordPress processes the request.

Inspect request parameters and bodies for injection, traversal and file-inclusion payloads, and refuse the request rather than logging it.

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Not sure if you are affected?

Scan your site to see whether it runs WPML Multilingual CMS, and at which version.

Free, no installation, no account. It reads what your site already publishes, then tells you which plugins carry known vulnerabilities and what to do about each one.

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Am I affected by this vulnerability?

You are affected if your site runs WPML Multilingual CMS. An attacker needs any registered account, so open registration materially increases the risk.

How do I fix it?

Update WPML Multilingual CMS to the latest available version. Where the vendor has not yet published a fix, remove or disable the plugin until they do. Until you can update, Request / payload inspection (WAF) in Hack Halt ProSecure contains this class of attack at the request layer.

What can an attacker actually do?

This is a SQL Injection flaw. An attacker who exploits it can read, alter or delete anything in the site database, including user accounts and password hashes.