CVE-2018-25371: mooSocial Store Plugin SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2018-25371 Overview

CVE-2018-25371 is a blind SQL injection vulnerability in mooSocial Store Plugin 2.6. The flaw resides in the product parameter used by the plugin's URL rewrite functionality. Unauthenticated attackers can inject SQL through the affected URI parameter to manipulate backend database queries. Researchers documented boolean-based blind, time-based blind, and stacked query techniques against the endpoint. Successful exploitation allows extraction of sensitive data from the underlying database without authentication. The weakness is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command).

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can extract arbitrary database contents from mooSocial Store Plugin 2.6 deployments by injecting SQL through the product URL parameter.

Affected Products

• mooSocial Store Plugin 2.6
• mooSocial deployments using the vulnerable Store add-on
• Web applications relying on the plugin's URL rewrite handler for product lookups

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-25 - CVE-2018-25371 published to NVD
• 2026-05-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2018-25371

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in how the mooSocial Store Plugin processes the product parameter exposed through URL rewriting. The plugin concatenates user-supplied input into SQL statements without parameterization or proper input sanitization. Attackers can submit crafted values through the URI to alter the semantics of the executed query.

Because the application does not return query results directly in the response, exploitation relies on blind techniques. Boolean-based blind injection infers data by observing differences in application responses. Time-based blind injection uses delay functions to exfiltrate data one bit at a time. Stacked queries allow attackers to append additional SQL statements separated by terminators.

The vulnerability requires no authentication and no user interaction. The attack surface is reachable over the network on any exposed mooSocial instance running the affected plugin version. A public exploit is documented in Exploit-DB #45330 and the VulnCheck advisory.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of SQL metacharacters in the product request parameter. The plugin's query construction logic interpolates the parameter value directly into a SQL string. No prepared statements, parameter binding, or whitelist validation are applied before query execution.

Attack Vector

An attacker issues HTTP GET requests against the store URL with a malicious product value. Payloads use SQL conditional logic, SLEEP() calls, or stacked statement terminators to enumerate database schema and exfiltrate records. Automated tooling such as sqlmap can drive the entire extraction process against the vulnerable endpoint.

No synthetic exploit code is reproduced here. Refer to Exploit-DB #45330 for the verified proof of concept.

Detection Methods for CVE-2018-25371

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to store plugin URLs containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, SLEEP, or BENCHMARK in the product parameter.
• Repeated requests to the same product URI with incrementing payload lengths consistent with blind SQL injection enumeration.
• Web server access logs showing user agents associated with sqlmap or other SQL injection tooling.
• Unusual database query latency or spikes in long-running queries originating from the web application user.

Detection Strategies

• Inspect web server and application logs for non-alphanumeric characters, quotes, and SQL syntax in the product URI segment.
• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) signatures targeting SQL injection patterns on the mooSocial Store routes.
• Correlate web access logs with database audit logs to identify anomalous queries originating from product lookup handlers.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable database query logging and alert on queries containing stacked statements from the web application account.
• Track response time deviations on store endpoints, as time-based blind injection produces predictable delays.
• Monitor for sustained request volume from single IP addresses targeting product URLs.

How to Mitigate CVE-2018-25371

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict public access to the mooSocial Store Plugin endpoints until a vendor fix is verified.
• Deploy WAF rules to block SQL metacharacters and known injection payloads in the product parameter.
• Audit database accounts used by the web application and remove unnecessary privileges such as FILE or stacked query capabilities where possible.

Patch Information

No vendor patch is referenced in the available advisory data. Administrators should consult the mooSocial Store Plugins product page and the mooSocial Addons Store for current plugin releases and contact the vendor for remediation guidance. Until a fixed version is confirmed, treat all deployments of version 2.6 as vulnerable.

Workarounds

• Implement input validation that restricts the product parameter to expected identifier formats such as numeric IDs or slug patterns.
• Place the application behind a WAF configured with SQL injection rule sets and enable blocking mode for the affected URI.
• Apply least-privilege configuration to the database account used by mooSocial, denying multi-statement execution where supported.

# Example WAF rule fragment for blocking SQLi patterns in the product parameter
SecRule ARGS:product "@rx (?i)(union(\s)+select|sleep\(|benchmark\(|;--|/\*)" \
  "id:1002518,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'mooSocial Store Plugin SQLi attempt (CVE-2018-25371)'"