CVE-2025-30876: Ads by WPQuads SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2025-30876 Overview

CVE-2025-30876 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability discovered in the Ads by WPQuads WordPress plugin. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. This issue affects Ads by WPQuads versions from the initial release through 2.0.87.1.

Critical Impact

This SQL Injection vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands against the WordPress database, potentially leading to complete database compromise, data exfiltration, and unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Affected Products

• Ads by WPQuads WordPress Plugin versions up to and including 2.0.87.1
• WordPress installations using the vulnerable WPQuads plugin (quick-adsense-reloaded)
• Web applications relying on WPQuads for advertisement management

Discovery Timeline

• April 1, 2025 - CVE-2025-30876 published to NVD
• April 1, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-30876

Vulnerability Analysis

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

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means that attackers can exploit it remotely without requiring any authentication or user interaction. The scope is changed, meaning successful exploitation can impact resources beyond the vulnerable component itself—in this case, the underlying WordPress database and potentially other applications sharing the same database server.

The vulnerability allows attackers to read highly sensitive data from the database (high confidentiality impact) and may cause service disruptions (low availability impact), though data modification appears to be limited.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-30876 lies in insufficient input validation and sanitization within the WPQuads plugin. User-controlled data is directly concatenated or interpolated into SQL queries without proper parameterization or escaping. This allows specially crafted input containing SQL metacharacters (such as single quotes, double dashes, or SQL keywords) to alter the intended query logic.

WordPress provides built-in mechanisms such as $wpdb->prepare() for secure query construction, but the vulnerable code paths in WPQuads versions through 2.0.87.1 fail to utilize these protections adequately.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, meaning exploitation can occur remotely over HTTP/HTTPS. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests containing SQL injection payloads targeting vulnerable parameters within the WPQuads plugin.

Since no authentication is required (PR:N) and no user interaction is needed (UI:N), this vulnerability is particularly dangerous for publicly accessible WordPress sites. Attackers can leverage standard SQL injection techniques including:

• Union-based injection to extract data from other database tables
• Boolean-based blind injection to infer database contents
• Time-based blind injection when direct output is not available
• Stacked queries (if supported by the database configuration) to execute multiple statements

The vulnerability allows attackers to bypass normal access controls and directly interact with the WordPress database, potentially accessing user credentials, personal information, and administrative data.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-30876

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual database queries containing SQL injection patterns such as UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, or comment sequences (--, /**/)
• Web server logs showing requests with SQL syntax in URL parameters or POST data targeting WPQuads endpoints
• Unexpected database read operations or data exfiltration attempts from WordPress tables
• Anomalous network traffic patterns indicating automated SQL injection scanning tools

Detection Strategies

• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection patterns in requests to WordPress sites using WPQuads
• Monitor database query logs for anomalous queries containing suspicious SQL syntax or accessing sensitive tables
• Implement intrusion detection system (IDS) signatures targeting known SQL injection attack patterns
• Enable WordPress security plugins that provide real-time monitoring and alerting for suspicious activities

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for the WPQuads plugin and monitor for unusual parameter values or error messages
• Configure database auditing to track SELECT queries accessing sensitive tables like wp_users or wp_options
• Set up alerts for failed database queries that may indicate injection attempts being blocked
• Regularly review access logs for patterns consistent with automated vulnerability scanning

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-30876

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Ads by WPQuads plugin to a version newer than 2.0.87.1 that addresses this vulnerability
• If an update is not immediately available, consider temporarily deactivating the WPQuads plugin until a patch is released
• Review WordPress database logs for any signs of exploitation or unauthorized data access
• Implement Web Application Firewall rules to block SQL injection attempts targeting your WordPress installation

Patch Information

A patch addressing this SQL Injection vulnerability should be applied by updating the Ads by WPQuads plugin to the latest available version. Site administrators should check the Patchstack vulnerability database for the most current patch information and remediation guidance.

WordPress administrators can update the plugin through the WordPress admin dashboard under Plugins → Updates, or by manually downloading and installing the patched version from the WordPress plugin repository.

Workarounds

• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with SQL injection protection rules to filter malicious requests before they reach the vulnerable plugin
• Implement strict input validation at the server level using ModSecurity or similar technologies
• Restrict database user privileges for the WordPress installation to minimize the impact of successful SQL injection
• Consider using WordPress security plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri that provide virtual patching capabilities

# Configuration example - ModSecurity SQL Injection Protection
# Add to Apache configuration or .htaccess

SecRule ARGS "@detectSQLi" "id:1001,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,msg:'SQL Injection Attempt Blocked'"
SecRule REQUEST_BODY "@detectSQLi" "id:1002,phase:2,deny,status:403,log,msg:'SQL Injection in POST Data Blocked'"