# CVE-2021-24140: Ajax Load More < 5.3.2 - Authenticated SQL Injection

> Authenticated attackers can execute arbitrary SQL commands via the repeater parameter in the Ajax Load More WordPress plugin.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Mar 2021
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-w9hc-cq6j-8gqw

## What is CVE-2021-24140?

CVE-2021-24140 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in Unknown Ajax Load More, published on 18 Mar 2021. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Unvalidated input in the Ajax Load More WordPress plugin, versions before 5.3.2, lead to SQL Injection in POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with param repeater=' or sleep(5)#&type=test.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-24140?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Connekthq Ajax Load More.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-24140?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-24140 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-24140 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-24140 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Unknown Ajax Load More

- [CVE-2015-10140](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-10140/): Ajax Load More < 2.8.1.2 - Subscriber+ File Upload & Deletion (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-2433](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-2433/): WordPress Infinite Scroll – Ajax Load More <= 5.5.3 - Cross-Site Request Forgery to PHAR Deserialization (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2025-47630](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-47630/): WordPress Ajax Load More plugin <= 7.3.1.2 - Cross Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2023-50874](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-50874/): WordPress Ajax Load More Plugin <= 6.1.0.1 is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS) (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2024-8505](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-8505/): Cross-site scripting in Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load (medium 6.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-24140 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-24140 is a high-severity SQL injection vulnerability in Unknown Ajax Load More, published on 18 Mar 2021. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-24140 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Unknown Ajax Load More. 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-2021-24140/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24140/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-24140
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-24140
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-24140

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-24140/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.