CVE-2025-4396: CWE-89 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') in Relevanssi Relevanssi Premium
The Relevanssi – A Better Search plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to time-based SQL Injection via the cats and tags query parameters in all versions up to, and including, 4.24.4 (Free) and <= 2.27.5 (Premium) due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to append additional SQL queries to already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The Relevanssi – A Better Search plugin for WordPress suffers from a time-based SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) via the 'cats' and 'tags' query parameters. Due to improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands, unauthenticated attackers can append malicious SQL queries to extract sensitive data. This affects all versions up to 4.24.4 (Free) and 2.27.5 (Premium). The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5, indicating high severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and no user interaction needed. The impact is primarily confidentiality loss without integrity or availability impact. No patch or official remediation guidance is currently available.
Potential Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability to perform time-based SQL Injection attacks, potentially extracting sensitive information from the WordPress database. The vulnerability affects confidentiality but does not impact integrity or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, consider restricting access to affected query parameters or disabling the plugin if feasible. Monitor official Relevanssi and WordPress security advisories for updates and apply patches promptly once released.
CVE-2025-4396: CWE-89 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') in Relevanssi Relevanssi Premium
Description
The Relevanssi – A Better Search plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to time-based SQL Injection via the cats and tags query parameters in all versions up to, and including, 4.24.4 (Free) and <= 2.27.5 (Premium) due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to append additional SQL queries to already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The Relevanssi – A Better Search plugin for WordPress suffers from a time-based SQL Injection vulnerability (CWE-89) via the 'cats' and 'tags' query parameters. Due to improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands, unauthenticated attackers can append malicious SQL queries to extract sensitive data. This affects all versions up to 4.24.4 (Free) and 2.27.5 (Premium). The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5, indicating high severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and no user interaction needed. The impact is primarily confidentiality loss without integrity or availability impact. No patch or official remediation guidance is currently available.
Potential Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability to perform time-based SQL Injection attacks, potentially extracting sensitive information from the WordPress database. The vulnerability affects confidentiality but does not impact integrity or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, consider restricting access to affected query parameters or disabling the plugin if feasible. Monitor official Relevanssi and WordPress security advisories for updates and apply patches promptly once released.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.1
- Assigner Short Name
- Wordfence
- Date Reserved
- 2025-05-06T20:10:28.220Z
- Cisa Enriched
- true
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 682d9816c4522896dcbd6565
Added to database: 5/21/2025, 9:08:38 AM
Last enriched: 4/9/2026, 9:33:29 PM
Last updated: 5/8/2026, 4:28:59 PM
Views: 145
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