CVE-2025-22527 Overview
CVE-2025-22527 is a SQL Injection vulnerability in the Yamna Khawaja Mailing Group Listserv WordPress plugin (wp-mailing-group). The flaw affects all versions up to and including 2.0.9. Attackers with high-privilege access can inject arbitrary SQL statements through improperly neutralized input passed to database queries. The weakness is tracked under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command). Successful exploitation can expose sensitive WordPress database contents and degrade site availability.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can extract confidential data from the WordPress database and impact site availability through crafted SQL payloads against the wp-mailing-group plugin.
Affected Products
- Yamna Khawaja Mailing Group Listserv (wp-mailing-group) WordPress plugin
- All versions from n/a through <= 2.0.9
- WordPress installations with the plugin enabled
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-01-09 - CVE-2025-22527 published to NVD
- 2026-04-29 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-22527
Vulnerability Analysis
The wp-mailing-group plugin fails to properly sanitize and parameterize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries. An authenticated attacker with high privileges can supply crafted input containing SQL metacharacters. The plugin concatenates this input directly into database queries executed against the WordPress backend.
The vulnerability has a changed scope, meaning a successful injection can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component. Confidentiality impact is high, while integrity is unaffected and availability impact is low. The attack requires no user interaction and can be launched remotely over the network.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper neutralization of special characters in SQL statements. The plugin code does not consistently use prepared statements with the WordPress $wpdb->prepare() API or parameterized placeholders. As a result, attacker-controlled values reach the SQL parser as executable syntax rather than literal data.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network against a WordPress site running the vulnerable plugin. The attacker must already hold a high-privilege account on the target site. Once authenticated, the attacker submits crafted parameters to a plugin endpoint that builds an SQL query from the input. The injected payload can use UNION-based, error-based, or time-based techniques to read arbitrary tables, including wp_users and wp_options. See the Patchstack advisory for additional context. No verified public proof-of-concept is currently available.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22527
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual SQL syntax fragments such as UNION SELECT, SLEEP(, or -- appearing in HTTP request parameters destined for wp-mailing-group endpoints.
- Spikes in slow database queries originating from plugin handler scripts.
- Web server access logs showing repeated authenticated requests from a single account to plugin admin URLs.
- Unexpected reads from wp_users, wp_usermeta, or wp_options correlated with plugin activity.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect web application firewall (WAF) logs for SQL injection signatures targeting wp-mailing-group paths.
- Enable MySQL general or slow query logging and review queries tied to the plugin's handler functions.
- Correlate authenticated admin sessions with anomalous query patterns to identify malicious high-privilege users.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Alert on outbound data transfers following administrative actions on the plugin.
- Monitor changes to wp_users rows, especially user_pass and user_email fields.
- Track the plugin version in software inventory and flag any host still running <= 2.0.9.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22527
Immediate Actions Required
- Disable or remove the wp-mailing-group plugin until a patched release is verified.
- Restrict administrator and editor accounts to trusted personnel and enforce multi-factor authentication.
- Rotate WordPress administrator credentials and database passwords if compromise is suspected.
- Audit wp_users and wp_options for unauthorized entries or modifications.
Patch Information
At the time of publication, the Patchstack advisory lists all versions through 2.0.9 as affected. Site operators should monitor the plugin's WordPress.org page for a fixed release and apply it immediately upon availability. Until a patch ships, removal is the recommended path.
Workarounds
- Deploy a WAF rule that blocks SQL metacharacters in parameters submitted to wp-mailing-group endpoints.
- Restrict access to the WordPress admin area by IP allowlisting at the web server or reverse proxy.
- Apply the principle of least privilege to limit which roles can interact with the plugin's functions.
# Disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate wp-mailing-group
wp plugin delete wp-mailing-group
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
