CVE-2025-39486 is a high-severity SQL Injection vulnerability affecting the ValvePress Rankie plugin. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands (CWE-89), allowing an attacker with low privileges (PR:L) to execute crafted SQL queries remotely over the network (AV:N) without requiring user interaction (UI:N). The vulnerability impacts the confidentiality of the database, enabling attackers to extract sensitive information (C:H), though it does not allow modification of data (I:N) and only causes limited availability impact (A:L). The scope is classified as changed (S:C), indicating that the vulnerability affects components beyond the vulnerable component itself, potentially impacting the broader system or application environment. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 8.5, reflecting the high risk posed by this vulnerability. Although no specific affected versions are listed, the vulnerability impacts the Rankie product from ValvePress. No patches or known exploits in the wild have been reported as of the publication date (June 17, 2025). The vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious SQL statements that bypass input validation or sanitization mechanisms, potentially exposing sensitive data stored in the backend database. Given the nature of SQL Injection, attackers could enumerate database schema, extract user credentials, or access confidential business data, which could lead to further compromise or data breaches.

For European organizations using the ValvePress Rankie plugin, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to data confidentiality. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, e-commerce, and government, which often rely on WordPress plugins like Rankie for analytics and SEO ranking insights, could face unauthorized data disclosure. The exposure of sensitive customer or internal data could lead to regulatory non-compliance under GDPR, resulting in legal penalties and reputational damage. Additionally, the changed scope of the vulnerability suggests that exploitation could affect interconnected systems or services, amplifying the impact. Although the vulnerability does not allow data modification or deletion, the confidentiality breach alone can facilitate further attacks such as phishing, identity theft, or lateral movement within networks. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the ease of exploitation (low attack complexity and no user interaction) means attackers could rapidly develop exploit code once the vulnerability details are widely known.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on applying any available patches or updates from ValvePress once released. Since no patches are currently available, organizations should monitor vendor communications closely. 2. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules specifically designed to detect and block SQL Injection patterns targeting the Rankie plugin endpoints. Custom WAF signatures can be created based on typical Rankie request parameters. 3. Conduct a thorough code review and input validation audit of the Rankie plugin if source code access is available, focusing on sanitization of all user-supplied inputs used in SQL queries. 4. Restrict database user permissions for the Rankie plugin to the minimum necessary, ideally read-only access to reduce impact in case of exploitation. 5. Employ database activity monitoring to detect anomalous query patterns indicative of SQL Injection attempts. 6. Segment and isolate systems running Rankie to limit lateral movement if compromise occurs. 7. Educate security teams and developers about the vulnerability specifics to enhance detection and response capabilities. 8. As a temporary workaround, consider disabling or removing the Rankie plugin if it is not critical to business operations until a patch is available.