CVE-2025-15477 is an SQL Injection vulnerability classified under CWE-89 affecting the WordPress plugin The Bucketlister developed by simonfairbairn. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient escaping and lack of prepared statements when processing the shortcode attributes 'category' and 'id'. These attributes are user-supplied parameters that are directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization, enabling an attacker with authenticated Contributor-level access or higher to inject arbitrary SQL commands. This injection can be used to append additional queries to the existing SQL statements, allowing extraction of sensitive information from the backend database. The vulnerability affects all versions of The Bucketlister up to and including 0.1.5. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.5, indicating medium severity, with the vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, meaning the attack is network exploitable with low complexity, requires privileges (Contributor or above), no user interaction, unchanged scope, high confidentiality impact, but no integrity or availability impact. No patches or known exploits are currently available or reported. The vulnerability was reserved in January 2026 and published in February 2026. This flaw primarily threatens the confidentiality of data stored in the WordPress database by allowing unauthorized data extraction through SQL Injection.

The primary impact of this vulnerability is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive data stored in the WordPress database used by The Bucketlister plugin. Attackers with Contributor-level access can exploit the flaw to perform SQL Injection attacks, potentially extracting user data, configuration details, or other confidential information. Although the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach can lead to privacy violations, compliance issues, and reputational damage for affected organizations. Since WordPress powers a significant portion of websites globally, and The Bucketlister plugin is used to manage categorized listings, websites relying on this plugin are at risk. The requirement for authenticated access limits exploitation to users with some level of trust, but insider threats or compromised accounts can leverage this vulnerability. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests limited current exploitation, but the ease of exploitation and the impact on confidentiality warrant prompt remediation. Organizations using this plugin face risks of data leakage that could be leveraged for further attacks or social engineering.

To mitigate CVE-2025-15477, organizations should immediately upgrade The Bucketlister plugin to a version that addresses this vulnerability once available. In the absence of an official patch, administrators should consider disabling the plugin or restricting Contributor-level access to trusted users only. Implementing Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious SQL injection patterns targeting the shortcode parameters 'category' and 'id' can provide temporary protection. Reviewing and hardening user roles and permissions to minimize the number of users with Contributor or higher privileges reduces the attack surface. Additionally, applying database-level access controls and monitoring database queries for anomalies can help detect exploitation attempts. Developers maintaining the plugin should refactor the code to use parameterized queries or prepared statements and properly sanitize all user inputs. Regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on plugin vulnerabilities are recommended to identify similar issues proactively.