CVE-2025-28986: Epicwin Plugin CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2025-28986 Overview

CVE-2025-28986 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Webaholicson Epicwin Plugin (epicwin-subscribers) for WordPress that can be chained to enable SQL Injection attacks. This vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious requests that, when executed by an authenticated user, can manipulate database queries and potentially compromise the entire WordPress installation.

Critical Impact

Attackers can chain CSRF with SQL Injection to execute arbitrary database commands, potentially leading to data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or complete site compromise.

Affected Products

• Epicwin Plugin (epicwin-subscribers) version 1.5 and earlier
• WordPress installations using the vulnerable plugin versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-06 - CVE-2025-28986 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-28986

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a dangerous combination of two attack vectors: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) and SQL Injection. The Epicwin Plugin fails to implement proper CSRF token validation on sensitive operations that interact with the database. When a user with administrative privileges visits a malicious page or clicks a crafted link, the attacker can force their browser to submit requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoint.

The lack of input sanitization on database queries means that the attacker-controlled data passed through the CSRF attack can be used to inject malicious SQL commands. This chained attack significantly increases the potential impact, as it allows unauthenticated attackers to indirectly perform SQL Injection attacks through legitimate user sessions.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is twofold:

1. Missing CSRF Protection (CWE-352): The plugin does not verify nonces or implement anti-CSRF tokens on forms and AJAX endpoints that perform database operations
2. Improper Input Sanitization: User-supplied input is incorporated into SQL queries without proper parameterization or escaping, enabling SQL Injection when combined with the CSRF weakness

Attack Vector

The attack requires social engineering to trick an authenticated WordPress administrator or user with plugin access into visiting a malicious webpage. The attacker's page contains a hidden form or JavaScript that automatically submits a request to the vulnerable Epicwin Plugin endpoint. Since the victim's browser includes their authentication cookies with the request, the malicious operation executes with the victim's privileges.

The SQL Injection payload embedded in the forged request can then be used to:

• Extract sensitive data from the WordPress database
• Modify or delete database records
• Create new administrator accounts
• Potentially achieve remote code execution depending on database configuration

The vulnerability affects the epicwin-subscribers functionality, suggesting the attack surface involves subscriber management operations. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Analysis.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-28986

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database queries originating from WordPress admin sessions
• Unexpected modifications to subscriber data or user accounts
• Access logs showing requests to Epicwin Plugin endpoints with suspicious parameters containing SQL syntax
• Database logs indicating SQL errors or unusual query patterns

Detection Strategies

• Monitor HTTP POST requests to plugin endpoints for parameters containing SQL injection patterns such as single quotes, UNION statements, or comment sequences
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection attempts targeting WordPress plugins
• Review WordPress admin activity logs for unusual subscriber management operations
• Enable database query logging to identify anomalous SQL statements

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerting for SQL injection patterns in web server logs
• Monitor for new or modified WordPress administrator accounts
• Set up file integrity monitoring on WordPress core and plugin directories
• Implement network-level monitoring for data exfiltration attempts following potential database compromise

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-28986

Immediate Actions Required

• Disable or deactivate the Epicwin Plugin (epicwin-subscribers) until a patched version is available
• Review WordPress user accounts for any unauthorized additions or modifications
• Audit database tables associated with the plugin for signs of tampering
• Implement additional CSRF protection at the web server or WAF level

Patch Information

Currently, there is no confirmed patch available for this vulnerability. The issue affects Epicwin Plugin versions up to and including 1.5. Website administrators should monitor the plugin's official channels and the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Analysis for updates regarding a security fix.

Workarounds

• Completely deactivate and remove the Epicwin Plugin from WordPress installations until a patch is released
• Implement a Web Application Firewall with rules to block CSRF and SQL Injection attacks
• Restrict access to the WordPress admin area by IP address where feasible
• Consider using alternative subscriber management plugins that have active security maintenance

# Deactivate the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate epicwin-subscribers

# Verify the plugin is deactivated
wp plugin list --status=inactive | grep epicwin

# Enable WordPress debug logging to monitor for suspicious activity
# Add to wp-config.php:
# define('WP_DEBUG', true);
# define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);