CVE-2025-52823: Cube Portfolio SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2025-52823 Overview

CVE-2025-52823 is a SQL Injection vulnerability in the ovatheme Cube Portfolio plugin for WordPress. The flaw affects all versions of cubeportfolio up to and including 1.16.8. It stems from improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command [CWE-89]. Authenticated attackers with low privileges can inject malicious SQL statements through the plugin over the network. Successful exploitation exposes confidential database contents and may impact availability of the affected WordPress site. The issue was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) on August 14, 2025.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can extract sensitive WordPress database contents, including user records and credentials, through crafted SQL payloads sent to the Cube Portfolio plugin.

Affected Products

• ovatheme Cube Portfolio (cubeportfolio) WordPress plugin
• All versions from initial release through 1.16.8
• WordPress sites with the Cube Portfolio plugin installed and active

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-08-14 - CVE-2025-52823 published to NVD
• 2026-04-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-52823

Vulnerability Analysis

The Cube Portfolio plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries executed against the WordPress database. The flaw is classified under [CWE-89] Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command. An attacker with at least Contributor-level credentials can submit crafted parameters that break out of the intended SQL context. The injected statements execute with the privileges of the WordPress database user, providing read access to arbitrary tables.

The scope is marked as changed, meaning the impact extends beyond the vulnerable component to the WordPress database backing other plugins and core functionality. Confidentiality impact is high, while integrity is unaffected and availability is partially affected. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without user interaction.

Root Cause

The root cause is the direct concatenation of unsanitized input into SQL statements rather than using parameterized queries via the $wpdb->prepare() interface. WordPress provides safe query APIs, but the plugin code paths handling certain request parameters bypass these protections.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires low-privilege authentication. An attacker authenticates to a WordPress site that has Cube Portfolio installed, then sends a crafted HTTP request to a vulnerable plugin endpoint. The malicious payload modifies the resulting SQL query to extract data such as administrator password hashes, session tokens, or private post content. No user interaction is required to complete the attack.

Verified proof-of-concept code is not published in the referenced advisory. See the Patchstack SQL Injection Report for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-52823

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to admin-ajax.php or Cube Portfolio endpoints containing SQL meta-characters such as UNION SELECT, SLEEP(, 0x, or stacked -- comment sequences.
• Unusual database query patterns in WordPress logs referencing wp_users, wp_usermeta, or wp_options from low-privilege accounts.
• Spikes in 500-level responses or long response times originating from plugin AJAX handlers.

Detection Strategies

• Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) rule set that flags SQL injection signatures targeting cubeportfolio request parameters.
• Enable MySQL general query logging on staging environments to identify malformed queries originating from the plugin.
• Correlate authenticated session activity from Contributor or Author accounts with anomalous plugin endpoint usage.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward WordPress access logs and database query logs to a centralized logging platform for retention and analysis.
• Alert on authentication events followed within seconds by repeated requests to plugin AJAX actions.
• Review the WordPress audit log for new low-privilege user registrations preceding suspicious plugin traffic.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-52823

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the Cube Portfolio plugin to a version later than 1.16.8 as soon as the vendor publishes a fixed release.
• If no patched version is available, deactivate and remove the plugin from production WordPress instances.
• Audit WordPress user accounts and revoke unnecessary Contributor, Author, or Editor privileges.
• Rotate administrator passwords and WordPress secret keys defined in wp-config.php if exploitation is suspected.

Patch Information

At the time of publication, the vendor advisory referenced by Patchstack lists all versions through 1.16.8 as affected. Administrators should monitor the official Cube Portfolio plugin page for an updated release addressing the SQL injection flaw.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to /wp-admin/ and authenticated AJAX endpoints using IP allowlists or VPN-only access.
• Deploy a WAF with managed rules covering WordPress plugin SQL injection patterns, such as those provided by Patchstack or equivalent services.
• Enforce least-privilege role assignments and disable open user registration where it is not required.

# Configuration example: disable the vulnerable plugin via WP-CLI until a patched version is released
wp plugin deactivate cubeportfolio
wp plugin delete cubeportfolio