CVE-2025-12646 Overview
CVE-2025-12646 is a SQL injection vulnerability in the Community Events plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 1.5.4. The vulnerability resides in the handling of the dayofyear parameter, where insufficient escaping and missing prepared statement usage allow attackers to inject arbitrary SQL. Unauthenticated attackers can append SQL queries to existing database operations and extract sensitive information. The issue is categorized under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command).
Critical Impact
Unauthenticated remote attackers can extract sensitive data from the WordPress database, including user credentials and configuration secrets, without any user interaction.
Affected Products
- Community Events plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 1.5.4
- WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin enabled
- Any site exposing the dayofyear parameter endpoint to unauthenticated requests
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-11-19 - CVE-2025-12646 published to NVD
- 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-12646
Vulnerability Analysis
The Community Events plugin constructs SQL queries that incorporate the user-supplied dayofyear parameter without sufficient sanitization or parameter binding. Because the value is concatenated into the query string, attackers can break out of the intended SQL context and append arbitrary clauses. The vulnerability is reachable over the network and requires no authentication or user interaction, expanding the attack surface to any internet-facing WordPress site running the plugin. The impact is limited to confidentiality, allowing data extraction through UNION-based or boolean-based SQL injection techniques.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper input handling in the plugin code path that processes the dayofyear parameter. The query is assembled using string interpolation rather than the WordPress $wpdb->prepare() method. As a result, special SQL characters supplied by the attacker are interpreted as query syntax instead of literal data. The patched code addresses this by enforcing strict input validation and parameterizing the query, as shown in the WordPress Plugin Changeset.
Attack Vector
An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the WordPress endpoint that processes Community Events queries, supplying a malicious value for the dayofyear parameter. The injected payload is appended to the existing SQL statement and executed by the database. Successful exploitation enables enumeration of database tables, extraction of wp_users credentials, and disclosure of secrets stored in wp_options. Refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Report for additional technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-12646
Indicators of Compromise
- HTTP requests containing SQL keywords such as UNION, SELECT, SLEEP, or -- in the dayofyear query parameter
- Unusual database query patterns in WordPress logs referencing the Community Events plugin tables
- Outbound data exfiltration shortly after suspicious dayofyear parameter requests
- Web server access logs showing repeated requests with encoded SQL payloads targeting the plugin endpoint
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web application firewall (WAF) logs for SQL injection signatures targeting the dayofyear parameter
- Correlate WordPress database query logs with HTTP request logs to identify malformed or unexpected queries
- Monitor for high volumes of requests to Community Events endpoints from a single source
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable verbose logging on the WordPress site and forward logs to a centralized analytics platform for review
- Alert on requests containing common SQL injection payloads such as ' OR 1=1, UNION SELECT, or time-based functions
- Track baseline traffic to the Community Events plugin and flag deviations in request volume or payload size
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-12646
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the Community Events plugin to a version newer than 1.5.4 as soon as a patched release is available
- Disable the Community Events plugin if a patched version cannot be applied immediately
- Review WordPress database logs for evidence of prior exploitation and rotate credentials if compromise is suspected
Patch Information
A fix has been committed to the plugin source tree, as documented in the WordPress Plugin Changeset 3396731. The patch introduces proper input validation and uses WordPress prepared statement APIs to bind the dayofyear parameter. Administrators should upgrade to the fixed release through the WordPress plugin dashboard.
Workarounds
- Deploy WAF rules that block SQL metacharacters in the dayofyear request parameter
- Restrict access to the vulnerable endpoint using IP allowlists or authentication middleware until the patch is applied
- Temporarily deactivate the Community Events plugin in the WordPress admin interface
# Configuration example: ModSecurity rule to block SQLi attempts on dayofyear
SecRule ARGS:dayofyear "@rx (?i)(union(.*?)select|sleep\(|benchmark\(|--|/\*)" \
"id:1012646,phase:2,deny,status:403,msg:'CVE-2025-12646 SQLi attempt on dayofyear'"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
