CVE-2025-28983: Click & Pledge Connect SQLi Vulnerability

CVE-2025-28983 Overview

CVE-2025-28983 is a SQL Injection vulnerability in the Click & Pledge Connect WordPress plugin that enables attackers to achieve privilege escalation. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands (CWE-89), allowing unauthenticated attackers to manipulate database queries and potentially gain administrative access to affected WordPress installations.

Critical Impact

This SQL injection vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to escalate privileges on vulnerable WordPress sites running the Click & Pledge Connect plugin, potentially leading to complete site compromise.

Affected Products

• Click & Pledge Connect WordPress Plugin versions 25.04010101 through WP6.8

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-07-04 - CVE-2025-28983 published to NVD
• 2025-07-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-28983

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability exists in the Click & Pledge Connect WordPress plugin, a payment processing and donation management solution. The plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries, creating a classic SQL injection attack surface.

The vulnerability is exploitable over the network without requiring any prior authentication or user interaction. Successful exploitation can result in complete compromise of database confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Attackers can read sensitive data, modify database contents, and potentially leverage the SQL injection to achieve privilege escalation within the WordPress installation.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands (CWE-89). The Click & Pledge Connect plugin fails to implement adequate input validation and parameterized queries, allowing attacker-controlled input to be directly concatenated into SQL statements. This lack of proper input sanitization permits malicious SQL syntax to be injected and executed by the database engine.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no authentication or privileges. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting vulnerable plugin endpoints. The injected SQL commands are executed with the privileges of the database user configured for WordPress, potentially allowing:

• Extraction of sensitive data including user credentials and payment information
• Modification of user roles and permissions (privilege escalation)
• Creation of new administrative accounts
• Manipulation of donation records and financial data

Since no code examples are available from verified sources, the vulnerability mechanism involves injecting SQL syntax through plugin parameters that are insufficiently sanitized before database query execution. For detailed technical information, refer to the Patchstack security advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-28983

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database queries in WordPress database logs containing SQL injection patterns such as UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or comment sequences (--, /**/)
• New administrator accounts created without authorization
• Modified user role assignments in the wp_usermeta table
• Unexpected changes to donation records or plugin configuration data
• Web server access logs showing requests to Click & Pledge Connect plugin endpoints with encoded or suspicious parameters

Detection Strategies

• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection attempts targeting WordPress plugin endpoints
• Enable WordPress database query logging and monitor for anomalous queries
• Deploy file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized changes to WordPress core files and plugin directories
• Use security plugins that provide real-time scanning for SQL injection attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Monitor WordPress audit logs for unauthorized user creation or privilege modifications
• Set up alerts for database errors that may indicate failed SQL injection attempts
• Review access logs for repeated requests to plugin endpoints with varying parameters
• Implement rate limiting on plugin endpoints to slow automated exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-28983

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all WordPress installations using the Click & Pledge Connect plugin versions 25.04010101 through WP6.8
• Check for available plugin updates and apply patches immediately
• If no patch is available, consider temporarily deactivating the plugin until a fix is released
• Review WordPress user accounts for any unauthorized administrative users
• Audit donation and payment records for signs of tampering

Patch Information

Consult the Patchstack vulnerability database for the latest patch status and updated plugin versions. Contact the Click & Pledge vendor directly for official remediation guidance.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules enabled
• Implement database-level restrictions to limit the WordPress database user's privileges
• Use WordPress security plugins that provide virtual patching capabilities for known vulnerabilities
• Consider network segmentation to isolate WordPress installations from critical infrastructure

# Example: Check installed Click & Pledge Connect plugin version via WP-CLI
wp plugin list --name=click-pledge-connect --fields=name,version,status

# Example: Deactivate vulnerable plugin temporarily
wp plugin deactivate click-pledge-connect

# Example: Review recently modified WordPress users
wp user list --role=administrator --fields=ID,user_login,user_registered