CVE-2025-14153: WordPress Page Expire Plugin SQLi Flaw

CVE-2025-14153 Overview

The Page Expire Popup/Redirection for WordPress plugin is vulnerable to a time-based SQL Injection attack through the id shortcode attribute. This vulnerability affects all versions up to and including version 1.0 and stems from insufficient escaping of user-supplied parameters combined with inadequate preparation of SQL queries. Authenticated attackers with Author-level access or higher can exploit this flaw to append malicious SQL queries to existing database queries, potentially extracting sensitive information from the WordPress database.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can leverage this SQL Injection vulnerability to extract sensitive data from the WordPress database, including user credentials, private posts, and configuration information.

Affected Products

• Page Expire Popup/Redirection for WordPress plugin version 1.0 and earlier
• WordPress installations using the vulnerable plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-06 - CVE CVE-2025-14153 published to NVD
• 2026-01-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-14153

Vulnerability Analysis

This SQL Injection vulnerability resides in the shortcode processing functionality of the Page Expire Popup/Redirection plugin, specifically within the vfpageexpirepopupstructure.php file. The plugin fails to properly sanitize or parameterize the id attribute when it is passed through shortcode attributes, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary SQL commands into database queries.

The time-based nature of this SQL Injection means that attackers can infer database information through carefully crafted payloads that introduce time delays in query execution. When a malicious payload is processed, the database response time varies based on the truthfulness of injected conditions, enabling data exfiltration one bit at a time.

The vulnerability requires authentication with at least Author-level privileges, as users at this access level can create posts containing shortcodes. While this authentication requirement limits the attack surface, compromised author accounts or malicious insiders could fully exploit this flaw.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of proper input validation and SQL query preparation in the plugin's codebase. The id parameter from the shortcode is directly incorporated into SQL queries without using WordPress's prepared statements ($wpdb->prepare()) or proper escaping functions. This violates secure coding practices and creates a direct path for SQL Injection attacks.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires an authenticated user with Author-level permissions or higher. An attacker can craft a malicious shortcode within a post or page that contains SQL Injection payloads in the id attribute. When the WordPress system processes this shortcode, the malicious SQL is executed against the database.

The exploitation follows this pattern:

1. Attacker authenticates to WordPress with Author or higher privileges
2. Creates a new post or page containing the vulnerable shortcode
3. Injects time-based SQL payloads through the id attribute
4. Observes response timing to extract database information
5. Iteratively extracts sensitive data including user credentials and private content

Due to the time-based nature of the injection, exploitation is slower than error-based or union-based SQL Injection, but remains highly effective for data exfiltration.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-14153

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database query patterns containing SLEEP(), BENCHMARK(), or similar time-delay SQL functions
• Posts or pages containing shortcodes with abnormally long or suspicious id attribute values
• Unexpected database performance degradation or timeouts during content rendering
• Authentication logs showing Author-level accounts creating unusual content patterns

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect SQL Injection patterns in POST data and shortcode attributes
• Monitor WordPress database query logs for time-based injection signatures
• Enable query logging on the database server and analyze for unusual patterns
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions like SentinelOne to identify post-exploitation activity

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerting for database queries with execution times exceeding normal thresholds
• Monitor the wp_posts table for entries containing suspicious shortcode patterns
• Review Author-level and above user activities for anomalous post creation behavior
• Implement file integrity monitoring on the plugin directory to detect unauthorized modifications

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-14153

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Page Expire Popup/Redirection plugin to the latest patched version immediately
• Audit all posts and pages containing the plugin's shortcodes for suspicious content
• Review database access logs for evidence of exploitation attempts
• Consider temporarily deactivating the plugin if an immediate update is not available

Patch Information

A security patch addressing this SQL Injection vulnerability has been released. Administrators should update to the latest version available through the WordPress plugin repository. For technical details on the code changes, refer to the WordPress Plugin Change Log. Additional vulnerability information is available in the Wordfence Vulnerability Report.

Workarounds

• Remove or deactivate the Page Expire Popup/Redirection plugin until a patch can be applied
• Restrict Author-level access by demoting users to Contributor level where shortcode execution is limited
• Implement a Web Application Firewall with SQL Injection detection rules
• Use database user permissions to limit the WordPress database account to essential operations only
• Consider implementing database query monitoring to detect and block suspicious query patterns