CVE-2026-25340: NooTheme Jobmonster SQL Injection Flaw

CVE-2026-25340 Overview

CVE-2026-25340 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability affecting the NooTheme Jobmonster WordPress theme (noo-jobmonster). This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to perform Blind SQL Injection attacks against WordPress sites using affected versions of the theme, potentially exposing sensitive database information including user credentials, personally identifiable information, and other confidential data stored in the WordPress database.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated attackers can extract sensitive database contents through Blind SQL Injection, potentially compromising the entire WordPress installation and its underlying database.

Affected Products

• NooTheme Jobmonster WordPress Theme versions prior to 4.8.4
• WordPress installations using the noo-jobmonster theme

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-25 - CVE-2026-25340 published to NVD
• 2026-03-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25340

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection'). The Jobmonster theme fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL queries executed against the WordPress database.

Blind SQL Injection is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to extract data from the database even when error messages are not displayed. The attacker infers information by observing differences in application behavior (time-based or boolean-based responses) when crafted SQL payloads are injected.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability combined with no authentication requirements means any internet-facing WordPress site running vulnerable versions of Jobmonster is at risk. The vulnerability can impact confidentiality by exposing database contents and may cause limited availability issues through resource-intensive SQL operations.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-25340 is insufficient input validation and improper sanitization of user-controlled data within the Jobmonster theme. The theme directly incorporates user input into SQL queries without using parameterized queries or prepared statements, which are the recommended defenses against SQL Injection attacks.

WordPress provides built-in functions such as $wpdb->prepare() for safely constructing SQL queries with user input. The failure to utilize these security mechanisms allows malicious SQL syntax to be interpreted as part of the database query rather than as literal data.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can craft HTTP requests containing malicious SQL payloads targeting vulnerable endpoints within the Jobmonster theme. Since this is a Blind SQL Injection vulnerability, the attacker typically employs one of two techniques:

Boolean-based Blind SQL Injection: The attacker injects SQL conditions that evaluate to true or false, observing changes in the application's response to determine if conditions are met.

Time-based Blind SQL Injection: The attacker injects SQL statements that cause deliberate time delays (such as SLEEP() or BENCHMARK() functions in MySQL), measuring response times to infer whether injected conditions evaluate to true.

Through iterative queries, attackers can systematically extract database contents character by character, including WordPress user password hashes, email addresses, and other sensitive information.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25340

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual HTTP requests to the WordPress site containing SQL syntax patterns such as UNION, SELECT, SLEEP(), BENCHMARK(), or single quotes in URL parameters
• Abnormally slow database query response times that may indicate time-based SQL injection attempts
• Unexpected database errors or unusual entries in WordPress debug logs related to malformed SQL queries
• Evidence of data exfiltration or unauthorized access to database contents

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server access logs for requests containing common SQL injection patterns targeting the Jobmonster theme endpoints
• Deploy Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block SQL injection payloads in HTTP request parameters
• Enable WordPress database query logging and monitor for unusual or malformed queries
• Implement intrusion detection system (IDS) signatures for SQL injection attack patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure real-time alerting for WAF rule triggers related to SQL injection attempts
• Review WordPress and web server logs regularly for suspicious request patterns targeting theme-specific URLs
• Monitor database server performance metrics for anomalies that could indicate time-based injection attacks
• Implement file integrity monitoring on the noo-jobmonster theme directory to detect any unauthorized modifications

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25340

Immediate Actions Required

• Update the NooTheme Jobmonster theme to version 4.8.4 or later immediately
• Audit database access logs for any signs of prior exploitation
• Consider rotating database credentials and WordPress user passwords as a precautionary measure
• Enable a Web Application Firewall with SQL injection protection if not already in place

Patch Information

NooTheme has addressed this vulnerability in Jobmonster version 4.8.4. Site administrators should update to this version or later through the WordPress admin dashboard or by obtaining the updated theme files from the vendor. For detailed patch information, refer to the Patchstack SQL Injection Advisory.

Workarounds

• If immediate patching is not possible, temporarily disable the Jobmonster theme and switch to a default WordPress theme
• Implement strict WAF rules to filter SQL injection payloads targeting all user input fields
• Restrict database user privileges to minimum required permissions, limiting potential damage from successful exploitation
• Consider placing the WordPress site behind an additional security layer such as a reverse proxy with request filtering capabilities

# Verify current Jobmonster theme version
grep -i "Version:" /path/to/wordpress/wp-content/themes/noo-jobmonster/style.css

# Check WordPress logs for SQL injection attempts
grep -E "(UNION|SELECT|SLEEP|BENCHMARK|--|')" /var/log/apache2/access.log | grep -i jobmonster