CVE-2025-2106: WordPress ViralAd Plugin SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2025-2106 Overview

CVE-2025-2106 is a SQL injection vulnerability in the ArielBrailovsky-ViralAd plugin for WordPress. The flaw exists in the limpia() function, which fails to sufficiently escape the text and id parameters before incorporating them into SQL queries. All versions up to and including 1.0.8 are affected. Unauthenticated attackers can append additional SQL statements to existing queries and extract sensitive database information. According to the vendor advisory, exploitation is limited to very old versions of WordPress where the underlying database abstraction layer does not block stacked or unsanitized queries. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-89.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can extract sensitive data from the WordPress database through crafted requests to the vulnerable limpia() function on legacy WordPress installations.

Affected Products

• ArielBrailovsky-ViralAd plugin for WordPress, versions up to and including 1.0.8
• Plugin file inc/anuncio.php containing the limpia() function
• WordPress installations running outdated core versions where the plugin is active

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-13 - CVE-2025-2106 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-2106

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the limpia() function within inc/anuncio.php of the ArielBrailovsky-ViralAd plugin. The function accepts user-supplied text and id parameters and incorporates them into SQL queries without adequate escaping or prepared statement usage. This violates the secure database access pattern established by the WordPress $wpdb->prepare() API.

An unauthenticated attacker can submit crafted input that breaks out of the intended query context. Appended SQL syntax then executes against the WordPress database. The Wordfence threat intelligence team notes that exploitation depends on the underlying WordPress version, since modern WordPress releases harden query execution against certain injection patterns.

The impact is restricted to data confidentiality. The CVSS vector indicates no impact on integrity or availability, consistent with a read-only data extraction primitive rather than write or destructive operations.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient input sanitization combined with unprepared SQL queries. The limpia() function (the Spanish word for "clean") implies an intent to sanitize input, but the implementation does not invoke parameterized queries or escape values consistently with WordPress security guidance.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based. An attacker sends HTTP requests containing malicious payloads in the text or id parameters processed by limpia(). No authentication or user interaction is required. Successful exploitation enables UNION-based or boolean-based extraction of database contents, including WordPress user records and session data, but only against very old WordPress core versions.

No verified public exploit code is available. Refer to the Wordfence Vulnerability Analysis and the WordPress Plugin Code Reference for technical specifics.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-2106

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to plugin endpoints containing SQL metacharacters such as UNION, SELECT, --, ', or 0x in the text or id parameters
• Unusual database error messages emitted by WordPress when the vulnerable plugin is active
• Outbound DNS or HTTP callbacks originating from PHP processes after suspicious parameter submission
• Web server access logs showing repeated requests to URLs referencing anuncio.php with encoded payloads

Detection Strategies

• Inspect web application firewall (WAF) logs for SQL injection signatures targeting parameters consumed by the ArielBrailovsky-ViralAd plugin
• Enable WordPress query logging or SAVEQUERIES to capture anomalous SQL statements that deviate from plugin-expected patterns
• Monitor for unauthenticated requests producing high-volume database row reads against wp_users or wp_options

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward web server and PHP-FPM logs to a centralized logging platform with SQL injection detection rules mapped to CWE-89
• Alert on bursts of 500 or 200 responses correlating with malformed query parameters on plugin URLs
• Track plugin inventory across WordPress fleets and flag installations of ArielBrailovsky-ViralAd at version 1.0.8 or earlier

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2106

Immediate Actions Required

• Deactivate and remove the ArielBrailovsky-ViralAd plugin from all WordPress instances until a patched version is released
• Upgrade WordPress core to the latest supported release, since exploitation requires legacy core versions
• Review WordPress database accounts and rotate credentials if exploitation is suspected
• Audit wp_users, wp_usermeta, and wp_options tables for unauthorized modifications

Patch Information

No fixed version of the ArielBrailovsky-ViralAd plugin is referenced in the advisory at the time of publication. The plugin remains vulnerable in all versions up to and including 1.0.8. Monitor the WordPress Plugin Page for updates and the Wordfence Vulnerability Analysis for remediation guidance.

Workarounds

• Block requests to the plugin's vulnerable endpoints at the WAF or reverse proxy layer
• Apply virtual patching rules that reject SQL metacharacters in the text and id parameters
• Restrict database user privileges granted to the WordPress application account to the minimum required
• Remove the plugin directory wp-content/plugins/arielbrailovsky-viralad/ from disk if removal through the admin UI is not feasible

# Configuration example: remove the vulnerable plugin from a WordPress installation
wp plugin deactivate arielbrailovsky-viralad
wp plugin delete arielbrailovsky-viralad