CVE-2025-12984 is an SQL Injection vulnerability identified in the Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense WordPress plugin developed by monetizemore. The vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 2.0.15 due to improper neutralization of special elements in the 'order' parameter used in SQL queries. Specifically, the plugin fails to sufficiently escape or prepare the user-supplied 'order' parameter before incorporating it into SQL commands. This flaw allows an authenticated attacker with Administrator-level privileges or higher to append arbitrary SQL queries to existing database commands. The consequence is the potential extraction of sensitive information from the underlying database, such as user data, configuration settings, or other confidential content stored within the WordPress environment. The vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, as it is limited to read-only data extraction. Exploitation does not require user interaction but does require high-level privileges, which limits the attack surface to trusted users or compromised administrator accounts. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.9, reflecting a medium severity due to the privilege requirement and lack of impact on integrity or availability. No known public exploits have been reported, and no official patches have been released at the time of this analysis. The vulnerability was reserved in November 2025 and published in January 2026 by Wordfence. The plugin is widely used for managing ads and monetization in WordPress sites, making this vulnerability relevant for websites relying on this plugin for revenue generation.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-12984 is the potential unauthorized disclosure of sensitive database information via SQL Injection. This can lead to exposure of personal data, business intelligence, or configuration details, which may violate GDPR and other data protection regulations, resulting in legal and financial repercussions. Since exploitation requires administrator-level access, the threat is heightened if internal accounts are compromised or insider threats exist. The vulnerability could be leveraged to gain insights into user databases or site configurations, facilitating further attacks or data breaches. Organizations heavily reliant on WordPress for content management and monetization, especially those using the Advanced Ads plugin, face increased risk. The lack of impact on data integrity or availability reduces the risk of service disruption but does not eliminate reputational damage from data leaks. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the medium severity score suggests that organizations should not delay remediation efforts.

1. Immediately audit and restrict Administrator-level access to trusted personnel only, minimizing the risk of insider exploitation. 2. Implement strict input validation and sanitization for the 'order' parameter at the application or web server level using Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block SQL Injection patterns. 3. Monitor database query logs for unusual or unexpected SQL commands that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4. Employ the principle of least privilege for database users connected to WordPress, limiting the ability to execute multiple queries or access sensitive tables. 5. Until an official patch is released, consider disabling or replacing the Advanced Ads plugin with alternative solutions that do not have this vulnerability. 6. Keep WordPress core and all plugins updated regularly and subscribe to vendor security advisories for timely patch deployment. 7. Conduct regular security training for administrators to recognize and prevent credential compromise. 8. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrator accounts to reduce the risk of unauthorized access. 9. Prepare incident response plans to quickly address any detected exploitation attempts.