Executive Summary

CVE-2026-49772 is a high-severity SQL Injection vulnerability found in The Events Calendar WordPress plugin versions 6.15.12 through 6.16.2.

This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to perform Blind SQL Injection, meaning they can manipulate the SQL queries executed by the website without direct visibility of the database output.

As a result, attackers can interact directly with the website's database, potentially extracting sensitive information.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can have serious impacts including unauthorized access to sensitive data stored in the website's database.

Because the vulnerability is exploitable without authentication, attackers can launch mass-exploitation campaigns against thousands of websites using the affected plugin versions.

The compromise could lead to data theft and potentially disrupt website availability, as indicated by the CVSS score showing high confidentiality impact and low availability impact.

Immediate action, such as updating the plugin to version 6.16.3 or later or applying emergency mitigation rules, is required to reduce risk.

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Mitigation Strategies

The immediate step to mitigate this vulnerability is to update The Events Calendar WordPress plugin to version 6.16.3 or later.

Until the update is applied, users can apply an emergency mitigation rule provided by Patchstack to block attacks targeting this SQL Injection vulnerability.

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Compliance Impact

The SQL Injection vulnerability in The Events Calendar plugin allows unauthenticated attackers to interact directly with the website's database and potentially steal sensitive information.

Such unauthorized access and potential data theft can lead to non-compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require safeguarding sensitive personal and health information against unauthorized access.

Therefore, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to compliance with these common standards and regulations by exposing sensitive data to attackers.

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Detection Guidance

The Events Calendar plugin versions 6.15.12 through 6.16.2 contain a high-severity SQL Injection vulnerability that can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers to interact with the website's database.

To detect this vulnerability on your system, you should first verify the plugin version installed on your WordPress site. If the version is within the vulnerable range, it is at risk.

While no specific detection commands are provided, general approaches include:

• Checking the plugin version via WordPress admin dashboard or by running commands to list installed plugins and their versions.
• Monitoring web server logs for suspicious SQL injection patterns or unusual database queries targeting The Events Calendar plugin endpoints.
• Using web vulnerability scanners that can test for SQL injection vulnerabilities on the affected plugin URLs.

For example, to check the plugin version via command line on a Linux server hosting WordPress, you can run:

• grep -i 'Version' wp-content/plugins/the-events-calendar/readme.txt

Additionally, you can inspect HTTP requests for SQL injection attempts using tools like tcpdump or Wireshark, or by searching logs for typical SQL injection payloads.

Patchstack also provides an emergency mitigation rule to block attacks until the plugin is updated, which can be used as a temporary detection and prevention measure.

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