CVE-2025-14477 is a SQL Injection vulnerability identified in the 404 Solution plugin for WordPress, affecting all versions up to and including 3.1.0. The root cause is insufficient sanitization of the 'filterText' parameter used in the 'ajaxUpdatePaginationLinks' AJAX action. The plugin attempts to sanitize input but can be bypassed by using the sequence '*$/', which after removal of the '$' character becomes '*/', allowing attackers to escape SQL comment contexts. This bypass enables authenticated users with administrator-level privileges to append arbitrary SQL queries to existing database queries. The attack vector is remote and network-based, requiring no user interaction but necessitating high privileges (administrator or above). The vulnerability allows time-based blind SQL injection, enabling attackers to extract sensitive information from the database by observing response delays. The CVSS v3.1 score is 4.9 (medium severity), reflecting the requirement for high privileges and the impact limited to confidentiality. No patches or known exploits are currently available, and the vulnerability was publicly disclosed on December 13, 2025. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-89, indicating improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality of sensitive data stored in WordPress databases using the 404 Solution plugin. Since exploitation requires administrator-level access, the threat is primarily from insider threats or compromised administrator accounts. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized data disclosure, including customer information, credentials, or proprietary business data. Although the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, the loss of confidentiality can lead to regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR), reputational damage, and potential financial penalties. Organizations with high-value data or those operating in regulated sectors such as finance, healthcare, or government are particularly at risk. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop exploits post-disclosure. The medium CVSS score reflects moderate risk but should not lead to complacency given the sensitive nature of data involved.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Monitor for plugin updates and apply patches from the vendor immediately once available, as no official patch currently exists. 2) Restrict administrator access strictly to trusted personnel and enforce strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of account compromise. 3) Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious SQL injection patterns, particularly those involving the '*$/' sequence or attempts to escape SQL comments. 4) Conduct regular security audits and code reviews of WordPress plugins and custom code to identify and remediate similar input validation issues. 5) Employ database activity monitoring to detect anomalous query patterns indicative of SQL injection attempts. 6) Limit the privileges of database accounts used by the plugin to the minimum necessary to reduce the impact of injection attacks. 7) Educate administrators on the risks of SQL injection and the importance of secure plugin management. 8) Consider isolating critical WordPress instances or using containerization to limit lateral movement in case of compromise.