# CVE-2016-20073: Answer My Question 1.3 Plugin WordPress SQL Injection via modal.php

> Unauthenticated attackers can execute arbitrary SQL queries via the 'id' parameter in the Answer My Question WordPress plugin to extract sensitive database information.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 15 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4mxv-55rp-8c89

## What is CVE-2016-20073?

CVE-2016-20073 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in mattkaye Answer My Question, published on 15 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Answer My Question 1.3 plugin for WordPress contains an SQL injection vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries by injecting malicious code through the 'id' POST parameter. Attackers can submit crafted SQL statements to the modal.php endpoint to extract sensitive database information including WordPress terms and configuration data.

Weakness: CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-20073?


## How do I fix CVE-2016-20073?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-20073 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-20073 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-20073 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-20073 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-20073 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in mattkaye Answer My Question, published on 15 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-20073 exists.

Affected product: mattkaye Answer My Question. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-20073/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-20073/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-20073
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-20073
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-20073

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-20073/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.