dbcve.org
SQL InjectionWeakness · CWE-89

CVE-2026-5486

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Unlimited Elements for Elementor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to SQL Injection via the 'data[filter_search]' parameter in the get_cat_addons AJAX action in versions up to and including 2.0.7. This is due to insufficient input sanitization and the use of deprecated escaping functions combined with direct string concatenation in SQL query construction. The vulnerability is exacerbated because the normalizeAjaxInputData() function calls stripslashes() on all user input, removing the protection provided by WordPress's wp_magic_quotes() function. Subsequently, the filter_search parameter is escaped using the deprecated wpdb->_escape() function and then directly concatenated into a LIKE clause without using prepared statements. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above (who can obtain a valid nonce through the Elementor editor), to inject arbitrary SQL commands and extract sensitive information from the database.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The Unlimited Elements for Elementor plugin for WordPress versions up to 2.0.7 contains a SQL Injection vulnerability in the get_cat_addons AJAX action. The vulnerability stems from the normalizeAjaxInputData() function calling stripslashes() which removes WordPress's built-in protection, combined with the use of deprecated wpdb::_escape() function and direct string concatenation in SQL queries instead of prepared statements. An authenticated attacker with Contributor-level access can inject arbitrary SQL commands via the data[filter_search] parameter.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of Unlimited Elements for Elementor that uses prepared statements and proper input sanitization, or implement parameterized queries in the vulnerable AJAX handler.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed plugin version
    Navigate to WordPress admin > Plugins > Unlimited Elements for Elementor and verify the installed version number, or inspect the plugin header in the main plugin file to confirm the version.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.0.7 or any earlier version.
  2. Verify AJAX endpoint registration
    Check if the get_cat_addons AJAX action is registered by searching the plugin files for 'wp_ajax_get_cat_addons' or 'wp_ajax_nopriv_get_cat_addons' hooks.
    Affected if The get_cat_addons AJAX action is registered and accessible to authenticated users with Contributor-level access or higher.
  3. Inspect input handling in the AJAX handler
    Locate the PHP file containing the get_cat_addons AJAX callback and examine the normalizeAjaxInputData() function to confirm it calls stripslashes() on user input.
    Affected if The normalizeAjaxInputData() function processes the data[filter_search] parameter using stripslashes().
  4. Check SQL query construction method
    Examine the SQL query construction within the AJAX callback for the get_cat_addons action. Look for direct string concatenation or use of deprecated wpdb::_escape() instead of prepared statements with $wpdb->prepare().
    Affected if SQL queries are constructed using string concatenation or wpdb::_escape() rather than parameterized queries with prepared statements.

A user is affected if they have Unlimited Elements for Elementor version 2.0.7 or earlier installed AND the get_cat_addons AJAX endpoint is accessible with Contributor-level permissions, with the vulnerable parameter lacking proper SQL injection protection.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of Unlimited Elements for Elementor that uses prepared statements and proper input sanitization, or implement parameterized queries in the vulnerable AJAX handler.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest version after 2.0.7 (verify in WordPress plugin repository)

  1. 1. Navigate to the WordPress admin dashboard
  2. 2. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  3. 3. Locate 'Unlimited Elements for Elementor' plugin
  4. 4. Check the current version installed
  5. 5. If version is 2.0.7 or lower, update to the latest available version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-5486 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data