# CVE-2024-6497: SEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO <= 12.3.19 - Authenticated (Contributor+) SQL Injection via url Parameter

> Authenticated attackers can inject arbitrary web scripts via the url parameter, leading to stored XSS execution on victim pages.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Jul 2024
- **Updated:** 8 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r2j9-gh64-cp47

## What is CVE-2024-6497?

CVE-2024-6497 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in cifi SEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO, published on 20 Jul 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The SEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the ‘url’ parameter in all versions up to, and including, 12.3.19 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to inject arbitrary web scripts in pages that will execute whenever a user accesses an injected page. CVE-2024-43286 appears to be a duplicate of this issue.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation), CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-6497?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Squirrly Seo Plugin by Squirrly Seo.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-6497?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-6497 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-6497 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-6497 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in cifi SEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO

- [CVE-2025-22783](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-22783/): WordPress SEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO plugin <= 12.4.03 - SQL Injection vulnerability (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2024-43286](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-43286/): WordPress Squirrly SEO plugin <= 12.3.19 - SQL Injection vulnerability (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2023-50854](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-50854/): WordPress Squirrly SEO - Advanced Pack Plugin <= 2.3.8 is vulnerable to SQL Injection (high 7.6)
- [CVE-2022-38140](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38140/): WordPress SEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO Plugin <= 12.1.10 is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Upload (high 7.6)
- [CVE-2025-24654](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-24654/): WordPress Squirrly SEO plugin <= 12.4.07 - Broken Access Control vulnerability (high 7.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-6497 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-6497 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in cifi SEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO, published on 20 Jul 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-6497 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: cifi SEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO. 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-2024-6497/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-6497/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-6497
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-6497
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-6497

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-6497/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.