CVE-2025-22652: Paystack Payment Forms SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2025-22652 Overview

CVE-2025-22652 is a SQL injection vulnerability in the Payment Forms for Paystack WordPress plugin developed by kendysond. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 4.0.1 and stems from improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands [CWE-89]. Attackers with high privileges can send crafted input over the network to manipulate backend database queries. Successful exploitation can expose sensitive payment and customer data stored by the plugin. The issue carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.6 and was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) on March 27, 2025.

Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can inject SQL statements through the plugin, leading to unauthorized read access to database contents and partial impact on availability across WordPress sites running vulnerable versions.

Affected Products

kendysond Payment Forms for Paystack plugin for WordPress
All versions from initial release through 4.0.1
WordPress sites using the payment-forms-for-paystack plugin

Discovery Timeline

2025-03-27 - CVE-2025-22652 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-22652

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a classic SQL injection issue [CWE-89] in the Payment Forms for Paystack WordPress plugin. The plugin fails to properly sanitize or parameterize user-controlled input before passing it into SQL queries executed against the WordPress database. Because the attack vector is network-based and the attacker requires high privileges, exploitation typically assumes an administrator-level or similarly privileged account is already present on the target site. The scope is changed, meaning a successful attack can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component, including the broader WordPress database.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special characters used in SQL statements. The plugin concatenates untrusted input directly into queries rather than relying on prepared statements or the WordPress $wpdb->prepare() API. This allows characters such as quotes and SQL keywords to alter query structure.

Attack Vector

An authenticated attacker with high privileges submits crafted input to a plugin endpoint that interacts with the database. The injected payload modifies the intended SQL statement, enabling the attacker to read arbitrary rows from the database and disrupt query execution. No user interaction is required. The Patchstack advisory provides additional context on the affected endpoints. See the Patchstack SQL Injection Advisory for technical specifics.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22652

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected SQL syntax characters such as ', --, UNION, or SLEEP( in HTTP request parameters targeting plugin endpoints under /wp-admin/ or /wp-content/plugins/payment-forms-for-paystack/.
Unusual database query patterns or errors logged by wpdb referencing plugin tables.
Administrator accounts performing atypical write or read operations against payment-related tables.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server access logs for crafted query strings and POST bodies hitting plugin routes.
Enable MySQL or MariaDB general query logging temporarily to identify malformed or anomalous queries originating from the plugin.
Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule set with SQL injection signatures tuned for WordPress.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor privileged WordPress account activity, including session creation and plugin configuration changes.
Alert on outbound database exports or large SELECT operations against wp_ tables.
Track plugin version inventory across managed WordPress instances to identify unpatched deployments.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22652

Immediate Actions Required

Identify all WordPress sites running the Payment Forms for Paystack plugin at version 4.0.1 or earlier.
Disable or uninstall the plugin until a vendor-supplied fix is verified and applied.
Rotate WordPress administrator credentials and review user roles to remove unnecessary high-privilege accounts.
Audit database contents for signs of unauthorized read access against payment and customer tables.

Patch Information

At the time of NVD publication, the advisory lists affected versions through 4.0.1. Administrators should consult the Patchstack SQL Injection Advisory and the plugin's WordPress.org page for the latest fixed release and upgrade guidance.

Workarounds

Restrict access to WordPress administrative endpoints by IP allowlisting at the reverse proxy or WAF.
Apply virtual patching via WAF rules that block SQL metacharacters in parameters consumed by the plugin.
Enforce least privilege for WordPress users and require multi-factor authentication for administrator accounts.

bash

# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity) blocking SQL metacharacters on plugin endpoints
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /payment-forms-for-paystack/" \
  "chain,deny,status:403,id:1002265,msg:'Potential SQLi against Paystack plugin'"
  SecRule ARGS "@rx (?i)(union(\s)+select|sleep\(|--|;--|/\*)" "t:none"