CVE-2025-48140: MetalpriceAPI Code Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2025-48140 Overview

CVE-2025-48140 is an Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') vulnerability affecting the MetalpriceAPI WordPress plugin. This vulnerability allows attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code on vulnerable WordPress installations running the MetalpriceAPI plugin version 1.1.4 or earlier.

The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and improper code generation controls within the plugin, potentially enabling Remote Code Execution (RCE) on affected WordPress sites. This type of vulnerability poses significant risks to website integrity, data confidentiality, and server security.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation allows attackers to achieve Remote Code Execution (RCE) on WordPress installations, potentially leading to complete site compromise, data theft, or use of the server for further malicious activities.

Affected Products

• MetalpriceAPI WordPress Plugin versions up to and including 1.1.4
• WordPress installations with the vulnerable MetalpriceAPI plugin enabled

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-09 - CVE-2025-48140 published to NVD
• 2026-04-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-48140

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code), commonly referred to as Code Injection. The MetalpriceAPI plugin fails to properly sanitize or validate user-supplied input before incorporating it into dynamically generated code. This allows an attacker to inject malicious code that gets executed by the server with the privileges of the WordPress application.

Code injection vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins are particularly dangerous because WordPress often runs with elevated privileges to manage files and database content. When exploited, attackers can leverage this access to install backdoors, modify site content, steal sensitive information from the database, or pivot to attack other systems on the network.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-48140 lies in improper input handling within the MetalpriceAPI plugin. The plugin processes user input without adequate sanitization before using it in code generation or execution contexts. This failure to enforce strict input validation allows specially crafted malicious input to be interpreted and executed as code rather than being treated as data.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability involves an attacker sending specially crafted requests to a WordPress site running the vulnerable MetalpriceAPI plugin. The malicious payload is processed by the plugin's code generation functionality, leading to arbitrary code execution on the server.

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely without requiring authentication in some scenarios, depending on the specific plugin configuration and the WordPress site's security posture. Successful exploitation typically follows these stages:

1. Attacker identifies a WordPress site using the vulnerable MetalpriceAPI plugin
2. Attacker crafts a malicious request containing code injection payload
3. The plugin processes the request without proper validation
4. Injected code executes on the server with WordPress application privileges
5. Attacker gains code execution capability on the target system

For detailed technical analysis of the exploitation mechanism, refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-48140

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected PHP files appearing in WordPress directories, particularly in /wp-content/plugins/metalpriceapi/
• Unusual outbound network connections from the web server
• Modified plugin files with obfuscated or encoded code blocks
• Suspicious entries in web server access logs showing unusual requests to the MetalpriceAPI plugin endpoints
• Unexpected administrative users created in WordPress

Detection Strategies

• Implement file integrity monitoring on WordPress installations to detect unauthorized changes to plugin files
• Review web application firewall (WAF) logs for code injection patterns targeting the MetalpriceAPI plugin
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions like SentinelOne to monitor for anomalous process execution from web server processes
• Enable WordPress security logging and monitor for suspicious plugin activity

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerts for new file creation within the WordPress plugins directory
• Monitor for unusual PHP process execution patterns, especially shell spawning
• Implement network monitoring to detect command and control communications
• Review access logs regularly for requests containing code injection patterns such as eval(), base64_decode(), or system()

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-48140

Immediate Actions Required

• Audit your WordPress installations to identify if the MetalpriceAPI plugin is installed
• If the plugin is installed, check the version number and verify if it is version 1.1.4 or earlier
• Consider temporarily disabling or removing the MetalpriceAPI plugin until a patched version is available
• Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block code injection attempts
• Review server logs for any signs of exploitation

Patch Information

Organizations using the MetalpriceAPI WordPress plugin should monitor the official plugin repository and the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Advisory for updates regarding a security patch. The vulnerability affects all versions from initial release through version 1.1.4. Apply the security update immediately once it becomes available.

Workarounds

• Disable the MetalpriceAPI plugin until a patch is released if the functionality is not critical
• Implement strict WAF rules to filter potentially malicious input patterns
• Restrict access to the WordPress admin interface using IP allowlisting
• Enable WordPress security plugins that provide additional input validation and malware scanning
• Consider using SentinelOne Singularity XDR to protect web servers and detect code injection attempts in real-time

# WordPress CLI command to deactivate the vulnerable plugin
wp plugin deactivate metalpriceapi --path=/var/www/html/wordpress

# Verify plugin status
wp plugin list --path=/var/www/html/wordpress | grep metalpriceapi