CVE-2025-9198 is a medium-severity SQL Injection vulnerability affecting the 'Wp cycle text announcement' WordPress plugin developed by gopi_plus. This vulnerability exists in all versions up to and including 8.1 of the plugin. The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands (CWE-89), specifically due to insufficient escaping of user-supplied input within the 'cycle-text' shortcode parameter. The plugin fails to properly prepare or parameterize SQL queries, allowing an authenticated attacker with Contributor-level privileges or higher to inject additional SQL statements into existing queries. This injection can be leveraged to extract sensitive information from the underlying database, compromising confidentiality. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond authentication, and the attack vector is remote over the network. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.5, reflecting a medium severity with high confidentiality impact but no impact on integrity or availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability was reserved in August 2025 and published in October 2025. The attack requires at least Contributor-level access, which means the attacker must have some level of authenticated access to the WordPress site, but does not require administrator privileges. This lowers the bar for exploitation compared to vulnerabilities requiring admin rights. The plugin is commonly used to display cycling text announcements on WordPress sites, and the injection occurs through shortcode parameters that are often user-configurable. This makes it a significant risk for sites that allow multiple contributors or editors to add content or configure shortcodes.

For European organizations using WordPress sites with the vulnerable 'Wp cycle text announcement' plugin, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized data disclosure. Attackers with Contributor-level access could extract sensitive database information, potentially including user data, internal content, or configuration details. This could lead to privacy violations under GDPR if personal data is exposed. Although the vulnerability does not allow modification or deletion of data, the confidentiality breach alone can damage organizational reputation and lead to regulatory penalties. Since WordPress is widely used across Europe for corporate, governmental, and non-profit websites, the impact could be broad, especially for organizations with multiple content contributors. The attack does not require user interaction beyond authentication, so insider threats or compromised contributor accounts could be leveraged. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests limited immediate risk, but the medium severity and ease of exploitation once authenticated mean organizations should act promptly. The vulnerability could also be chained with other exploits to escalate privileges or further compromise the site.

1. Immediately audit WordPress sites for the presence of the 'Wp cycle text announcement' plugin and identify versions up to 8.1. 2. Disable or remove the plugin until a secure patched version is released. 3. Restrict Contributor-level access strictly to trusted users and review user roles to minimize unnecessary privileges. 4. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block suspicious SQL injection patterns in shortcode parameters. 5. Monitor database query logs for unusual or unexpected queries that may indicate exploitation attempts. 6. Encourage plugin developers or maintainers to release a patch that properly parameterizes SQL queries and escapes inputs. 7. Educate content contributors about the risks of injecting untrusted input into shortcode parameters. 8. Regularly update WordPress core, plugins, and themes to reduce attack surface. 9. Consider deploying database activity monitoring tools to alert on anomalous query behavior. 10. Backup databases frequently to enable recovery in case of compromise.