CVE-2025-25150: Stylemix uListing SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2025-25150 Overview

CVE-2025-25150 is a critical Blind SQL Injection vulnerability affecting the Stylemix uListing WordPress plugin. This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands through improper neutralization of special elements in SQL queries, potentially compromising sensitive database information without requiring authentication.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this Blind SQL Injection vulnerability to extract sensitive data from WordPress databases, including user credentials, plugin configurations, and other confidential information stored in the application.

Affected Products

• Stylemix uListing plugin versions through 2.1.6
• WordPress installations running vulnerable uListing versions
• Sites using uListing for directory and listing functionality

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-03 - CVE-2025-25150 published to NVD
• 2025-03-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-25150

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command). The flaw exists in the uListing plugin's handling of user-supplied input, where special SQL characters are not properly sanitized before being incorporated into database queries.

Blind SQL Injection differs from standard SQL Injection in that the attacker cannot directly see the results of the injected query. Instead, they must infer information based on the application's behavior, timing differences, or conditional responses. This makes the attack more time-consuming but equally dangerous for data exfiltration.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means attackers can exploit it remotely without any prior authentication or user interaction. The scope change indicated in the vulnerability assessment suggests that successful exploitation could impact resources beyond the vulnerable component itself.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-25150 lies in insufficient input validation and sanitization within the uListing plugin. User-controlled input is directly concatenated or interpolated into SQL queries without proper parameterization or escaping of special characters. WordPress provides secure database interaction methods through the $wpdb->prepare() function, but the vulnerable code paths in uListing fail to utilize these protections, allowing malicious SQL syntax to be executed against the database.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring no authentication or privileges. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting vulnerable endpoints in the uListing plugin. Since this is a Blind SQL Injection, attackers typically employ time-based or boolean-based inference techniques:

Time-based Blind SQL Injection: The attacker injects SQL statements that cause the database to pause for a specified duration (e.g., using SLEEP() or BENCHMARK() functions). By measuring response times, the attacker can extract data one bit at a time.

Boolean-based Blind SQL Injection: The attacker crafts queries that produce different application behaviors based on true/false conditions, allowing them to enumerate database contents through systematic conditional queries.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-25150

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database query patterns with timing functions like SLEEP(), BENCHMARK(), or WAITFOR DELAY
• HTTP requests containing SQL syntax characters such as single quotes, UNION keywords, or comment sequences (--, /**/)
• Abnormally long response times for specific plugin endpoints indicating time-based injection attempts
• Web server logs showing repeated requests to uListing endpoints with varying parameter values

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block common SQL injection patterns in request parameters
• Enable WordPress debug logging and monitor for database errors or unusual query patterns
• Implement database activity monitoring to alert on anomalous query execution times or syntax
• Review access logs for automated scanning patterns targeting uListing plugin endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerting for SQL injection signatures in web traffic
• Monitor database server performance metrics for unexplained latency spikes
• Set up file integrity monitoring for WordPress core and plugin files
• Implement network-level monitoring for outbound connections that may indicate data exfiltration

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-25150

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the uListing plugin to a patched version beyond 2.1.6 as soon as one becomes available
• Temporarily disable the uListing plugin if an immediate patch is not available and the functionality is not critical
• Implement WAF rules to block SQL injection attempts targeting the affected plugin
• Review database logs for any signs of prior exploitation and investigate suspicious activity

Patch Information

Organizations should monitor the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Report and the official Stylemix plugin repository for patch availability. Once a security update is released, prioritize testing and deployment to production environments immediately.

Workarounds

• Deploy virtual patching through a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection detection rules
• Restrict access to WordPress admin and plugin endpoints via IP allowlisting where feasible
• Implement database-level query logging and monitoring to detect exploitation attempts
• Consider using a WordPress security plugin that provides runtime application self-protection (RASP) capabilities