Overview
The danger of SQL injection vulnerabilities is no secret in the cybersecurity realm; it has been a persistent threat for years. The Ajax WooSearch WordPress plugin, up to version 1.0.0, is the latest to fall victim to this type of security flaw. As a popular component for e-commerce websites, the vulnerability in this plugin can potentially affect a wide range of businesses, jeopardising the security of their databases and the private information of their users.
The severity of the issue is compounded by the fact that it can be exploited by unauthenticated users, making it a prime target for attackers looking to compromise systems or leak sensitive data.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-9697
Severity: Critical (CVSS: 9.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Ajax WooSearch WordPress Plugin | <= 1.0.0 How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability arises from the Ajax WooSearch WordPress plugin’s failure to properly sanitise and escape a specific parameter before using it in a SQL statement. This parameter is passed via an AJAX action available to unauthenticated users.
An attacker can manipulate this parameter to craft a malicious SQL query, which is then executed on the server side. This can lead to a variety of undesirable outcomes, from unauthorised data access, alteration or deletion of the database, to complete system compromise in certain scenarios.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is a hypothetical HTTP POST request, where the “malicious_payload” is a crafted SQL statement:
POST /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "action": "woosearch", "s": "'; DROP TABLE users; --" }In the above example, the “s” parameter is normally used to search for products. However, by injecting a malicious SQL statement, an attacker could potentially delete the entire “users” table.
Mitigation
The best course of action to protect your systems from this vulnerability is to apply the vendor’s patch as soon as possible. If for any reason immediate patching isn’t feasible, consider implementing a web application firewall (WAF) or intrusion detection system (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure. These tools can help detect and block malicious SQL statements, thereby reducing the risk of successful exploitation.
