CVE-2025-7402 is a time-based SQL Injection vulnerability identified in the Ads Pro Plugin - Multi-Purpose WordPress Advertising Manager, a popular plugin used to manage advertising on WordPress sites. The vulnerability exists due to improper neutralization of special characters in the ‘site_id’ parameter, which is incorporated into SQL queries without adequate escaping or use of prepared statements. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary SQL code, appending additional queries to the original database request. The time-based nature of the injection means attackers can infer data by measuring response delays, enabling extraction of sensitive information such as user credentials, configuration data, or advertising metrics stored in the database. The vulnerability affects all versions up to and including 4.95, with no patches currently available. The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 reflects the vulnerability’s high impact on confidentiality, ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction, and network accessibility. Although no active exploits have been reported, the widespread use of WordPress and this plugin increases the risk of future exploitation. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-89, highlighting the failure to properly sanitize SQL inputs, a common and critical web application security issue.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality of sensitive data managed through WordPress sites using the Ads Pro Plugin. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized disclosure of customer data, advertising campaign details, and potentially credentials stored in the database. This can result in reputational damage, regulatory penalties under GDPR for data breaches, and financial losses. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability directly, the primary concern is data leakage. However, attackers could leverage extracted information for further attacks, such as privilege escalation or lateral movement. The absence of authentication requirements and user interaction lowers the barrier for attackers, increasing the likelihood of automated scanning and exploitation attempts. Organizations relying on WordPress for digital marketing or e-commerce are particularly vulnerable, as compromised advertising data could disrupt business operations or lead to fraudulent activities.

Immediate mitigation should focus on applying vendor patches once released; currently, no official patch is available. Until then, organizations should implement strict input validation and sanitization on the ‘site_id’ parameter at the web application level, ensuring only expected numeric or predefined values are accepted. Deploying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to detect and block SQL Injection patterns, especially time-based payloads targeting the ‘site_id’ parameter, can reduce exposure. Regularly monitoring web server logs for suspicious query strings and unusual delays can help detect exploitation attempts early. Additionally, organizations should audit their WordPress environments to identify the presence of the vulnerable plugin and consider disabling or replacing it if immediate patching is not feasible. Conducting database access reviews and restricting database user permissions to the minimum necessary can limit the impact of any successful injection. Finally, maintaining up-to-date backups and incident response plans will aid in recovery if exploitation occurs.