CVE-2025-48301 Overview
CVE-2025-48301 is a SQL Injection vulnerability in the YayCommerce SMTP for SendGrid – YaySMTP WordPress plugin. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in a SQL command [CWE-89]. It affects all versions of the smtp-sendgrid plugin up to and including 1.5. An authenticated attacker with high privileges can inject crafted SQL statements through vulnerable plugin parameters. Successful exploitation can disclose database contents and impact availability of the WordPress site. The issue was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) on July 16, 2025.
Critical Impact
Authenticated attackers can extract sensitive database contents, including WordPress user credentials and email transactional data handled by the SMTP plugin.
Affected Products
- YayCommerce SMTP for SendGrid – YaySMTP plugin for WordPress
- All versions through 1.5
- WordPress sites with the smtp-sendgrid plugin installed and active
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-07-16 - CVE-2025-48301 published to NVD
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-48301
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in the smtp-sendgrid plugin's handling of user-supplied input within SQL queries. The plugin fails to properly sanitize or parameterize values before concatenating them into database statements. An attacker with high-privilege access to the WordPress admin interface can supply crafted input that alters query logic. The injection executes in the context of the WordPress database user, granting access to the underlying wp_ schema. Because the vulnerability scope changes per the CVSS vector, impact can extend beyond the plugin's own data boundary.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands [CWE-89]. The plugin constructs database queries using string concatenation rather than prepared statements with bound parameters. WordPress provides the $wpdb->prepare() API to mitigate this class of issue, but the affected code paths in versions through 1.5 do not consistently apply it. Special characters such as single quotes, comments, and stacked query delimiters reach the SQL parser unfiltered.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network through the WordPress admin interface. The attacker must already hold high-privilege credentials, such as those of an administrator or equivalent role on a multi-site installation. No user interaction is required once the attacker is authenticated. The malicious payload is delivered as a parameter value to a plugin endpoint that constructs a SQL query. The injected SQL is then executed against the WordPress database backend.
No verified public exploit code is available at the time of writing. Technical details are documented in the Patchstack Vulnerability Report.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-48301
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected SQL syntax fragments such as UNION SELECT, SLEEP(, or -- in web server access logs targeting /wp-admin/admin.php or /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with the smtp-sendgrid action parameter.
- New or modified rows in the wp_users and wp_usermeta tables that do not match administrative activity logs.
- MySQL slow query log entries showing abnormally long-running queries originating from plugin code paths.
Detection Strategies
- Inspect WordPress audit logs for high-privilege accounts accessing plugin settings pages at unusual times or from unexpected IP addresses.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set covering OWASP CRS SQL Injection signatures, focusing on requests to plugin endpoints.
- Correlate authenticated admin sessions with database query patterns to surface anomalous query structures.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress debug logging and capture $wpdb errors to wp-content/debug.log for review.
- Forward web server, PHP-FPM, and MySQL general query logs to a centralized analytics platform for correlation.
- Alert on administrator role assignments, password resets, and new user creation events outside change windows.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-48301
Immediate Actions Required
- Update the YayCommerce SMTP for SendGrid – YaySMTP plugin to a version later than 1.5 once released by the vendor.
- Audit all WordPress administrator and editor accounts and revoke unused high-privilege access.
- Rotate database credentials and WordPress administrator passwords if compromise is suspected.
Patch Information
The vendor advisory is tracked through the Patchstack Vulnerability Report. Site administrators should monitor the WordPress plugin repository for a fixed release of smtp-sendgrid above version 1.5 and apply it through the WordPress admin updates panel or via WP-CLI.
Workarounds
- Deactivate the smtp-sendgrid plugin until a patched version is available and replace it with an alternative SMTP plugin.
- Restrict access to /wp-admin/ using IP allowlists at the reverse proxy or WAF tier to reduce exposure of the authenticated endpoint.
- Enforce multi-factor authentication on all WordPress administrator accounts to raise the bar against credential reuse leading to exploitation.
# Disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI until a patch is applied
wp plugin deactivate smtp-sendgrid
wp plugin status smtp-sendgrid
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
