CVE-2025-22691: WP Travel Plugin SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2025-22691 Overview

CVE-2025-22691 is a SQL Injection vulnerability in the WP Travel WordPress plugin. The flaw affects all versions up to and including 10.1.3. It is classified under [CWE-89] for improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command.

Authenticated attackers with high privileges can inject crafted SQL statements into vulnerable plugin parameters. The flaw operates over the network without user interaction and produces a scope change, allowing impact beyond the vulnerable component.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables attackers to read sensitive database contents, including WordPress user records, session tokens, and travel booking data stored by the plugin.

Affected Products

WP Travel plugin for WordPress
All versions from initial release through 10.1.3
WordPress sites running the WP Travel booking and tour management plugin

Discovery Timeline

2025-02-03 - CVE-2025-22691 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-22691

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in WP Travel's handling of user-controlled input passed to database queries. The plugin fails to properly neutralize special characters before incorporating values into SQL statements. An attacker with high-privilege access can submit crafted payloads that alter query syntax and execution logic.

Because the issue results in a scope change, the impact reaches beyond the WordPress installation boundary. The flaw exposes confidential data stored in the WordPress database while also permitting limited availability impact on the underlying service.

The Patchstack advisory documents the vulnerability as exploitable up to and including WP Travel version 10.1.3. The plugin is widely deployed on travel agency and tour operator websites, increasing the value of stolen booking, customer, and authentication data. See the Patchstack WP Travel Plugin Vulnerability advisory for vendor-published technical detail.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient input sanitization in plugin code paths that construct SQL queries. Parameters consumed by the plugin are concatenated into queries without prepared statements or proper escaping using WordPress functions such as $wpdb->prepare(). This allows attacker-supplied input to break out of the intended SQL context.

Attack Vector

Attackers exploit the flaw remotely over HTTP or HTTPS against the WordPress site hosting the vulnerable plugin. The attack requires high-privilege authentication, limiting exploitation to compromised administrator or editor accounts, or scenarios where attackers have already obtained elevated credentials. No user interaction is required once the attacker controls the privileged session.

The vulnerability mechanism follows the standard SQL injection pattern. The attacker submits crafted values to a plugin endpoint, the plugin interpolates the value into a SQL statement, and the database executes the modified query. Detailed payload examples are not published by the vendor and no public proof-of-concept exploit is available at this time.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22691

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, UNION SELECT, SLEEP(, or comment sequences -- and /* in WP Travel plugin request parameters
Anomalous response times on plugin endpoints, suggesting time-based blind SQL injection probing
Database error messages returned in HTTP responses from /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php or WP Travel endpoints
Unusual administrator or editor account activity preceding suspicious database queries

Detection Strategies

Inspect WordPress and web server access logs for requests to WP Travel routes containing SQL metacharacters
Enable database query logging and review for queries that reference WP Travel tables with attacker-controlled content
Deploy a Web Application Firewall rule set tuned for SQL injection patterns targeting WordPress plugins
Correlate privileged user sessions with subsequent database read patterns inconsistent with normal plugin use

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor authentication events for high-privilege accounts to detect account takeover that precedes exploitation
Alert on bulk SELECT activity against wp_users, wp_usermeta, and WP Travel booking tables
Track outbound data volume from the database host for signs of mass extraction
Forward WordPress logs and WAF events to a centralized SIEM for correlation with endpoint telemetry

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22691

Immediate Actions Required

Update WP Travel to a version newer than 10.1.3 as soon as a patched release is published by the vendor
Audit administrator and editor accounts on affected WordPress sites and rotate credentials
Enforce multi-factor authentication on all privileged WordPress accounts to reduce the high-privilege prerequisite
Review database logs for evidence of past exploitation against WP Travel endpoints

Patch Information

Refer to the Patchstack WP Travel Plugin Vulnerability advisory for vendor patch status. Until a fixed release is confirmed in the official WordPress plugin repository, treat all installations of WP Travel 10.1.3 and earlier as vulnerable.

Workarounds

Disable or remove the WP Travel plugin on sites that do not require its functionality
Restrict access to the WordPress administrative interface using IP allowlisting at the web server or firewall
Deploy WAF virtual patching rules that block SQL metacharacters in parameters destined for WP Travel endpoints
Apply least-privilege principles by demoting unnecessary administrator and editor accounts

bash

# Example WAF rule pattern blocking SQL injection metacharacters on WP Travel endpoints
# ModSecurity-style rule
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" \
  "chain,phase:2,deny,status:403,id:1002269,msg:'WP Travel SQLi attempt'"
SecRule ARGS "@rx (?i)(union\s+select|sleep\s*\(|--\s|/\*)" "t:none,t:urlDecode"