CVE-2025-49326 Overview
CVE-2025-49326 is a SQL Injection vulnerability in the GamiPress WordPress plugin developed by Ruben Garcia. The flaw affects all versions of GamiPress up to and including 7.4.5. An authenticated attacker with high privileges can inject malicious SQL statements through unsanitized input that is concatenated into database queries. The issue is tracked under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command. GamiPress is a gamification plugin used across thousands of WordPress sites to award points, achievements, and ranks to users.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables attackers to read sensitive database contents, including user records and credentials, and to cause partial availability loss across the WordPress database backend.
Affected Products
- GamiPress WordPress plugin versions up to and including 7.4.5
- WordPress sites running vulnerable GamiPress installations
- Any environment exposing the affected plugin endpoints to authenticated users
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-06-06 - CVE-2025-49326 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-49326
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability arises because GamiPress fails to neutralize special elements in user-supplied input before passing values into SQL queries. An attacker authenticated to WordPress with high privileges can manipulate query parameters to alter the structure of database statements executed by the plugin. Because the scope is changed during exploitation, the impact extends beyond the plugin context into the underlying WordPress database. Confidentiality is the primary concern, with limited availability impact and no integrity loss reported.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper input neutralization in one or more GamiPress request handlers. Parameter values from authenticated requests reach SQL query construction without parameterized statements or escaping through the WordPress $wpdb->prepare() API. This violates secure coding practice for the WordPress database abstraction layer and allows attacker-controlled tokens to terminate string literals or append additional clauses to the executing query.
Attack Vector
Exploitation occurs over the network through standard HTTP(S) requests to the WordPress site. The attacker must already hold a high-privilege account on the target installation, which limits opportunistic exploitation but increases risk in multi-administrator or compromised-credential scenarios. No user interaction is required. Once a crafted payload reaches the vulnerable handler, the attacker can extract database contents using UNION-based or blind SQL injection techniques.
No verified public proof-of-concept exploit code is available at this time. For technical specifics, refer to the Patchstack SQL Injection Advisory.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49326
Indicators of Compromise
- Web server access logs containing SQL metacharacters such as ', UNION SELECT, SLEEP(, or INFORMATION_SCHEMA in requests to GamiPress endpoints under /wp-admin/ or /wp-json/gamipress/
- Unexpected outbound traffic or large response payloads originating from administrator-authenticated sessions
- Database error messages referencing GamiPress tables appearing in PHP error logs
Detection Strategies
- Inspect HTTP request bodies and query strings to GamiPress AJAX actions for SQL syntax patterns
- Correlate authenticated admin sessions with anomalous database query volume or duration
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule set tuned for SQL injection signatures against WordPress plugin endpoints
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable WordPress audit logging to track administrator account activity and plugin interactions
- Monitor the MySQL slow query log and general query log for unusual SELECT statements against wp_gamipress_* tables
- Alert on creation of new administrator accounts or modifications to user roles following suspicious requests
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49326
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade GamiPress to a version later than 7.4.5 once the vendor releases a fixed build
- Audit all WordPress administrator and editor accounts and rotate credentials for privileged users
- Enforce multi-factor authentication on every account that holds the required privilege level for exploitation
Patch Information
Review the Patchstack SQL Injection Advisory for the latest vendor remediation guidance. Apply the patched plugin version as soon as it is published on the WordPress plugin repository, and verify the installed version in the WordPress admin dashboard under Plugins.
Workarounds
- Temporarily deactivate the GamiPress plugin on production sites until a patched version is installed
- Restrict administrative access to the WordPress backend by IP allowlisting at the web server or WAF layer
- Apply virtual patching through a WAF rule that blocks SQL metacharacters in requests targeting GamiPress endpoints
# Example WAF rule snippet (ModSecurity) to block SQLi against GamiPress endpoints
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" \
"chain,phase:2,deny,status:403,id:1004926,msg:'Possible SQLi against GamiPress'"
SecRule ARGS "@detectSQLi" "t:none,t:urlDecodeUni"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
