Plugin Name	WordPress Donation Plugin
Type of Vulnerability	SQL Injection
CVE Number	CVE-2025-13001
Urgency	Low
CVE Publish Date	2025-12-11
Source URL	CVE-2025-13001

Authenticated SQL Injection in WordPress Donation Plugin (≤ 1.0): Risks, Detection, and How Managed-WP Shields Your Site

Author: Managed-WP Security Team
Date: 2025-12-11

Executive Summary

A critical vulnerability has been identified in the WordPress Donation plugin versions 1.0 and earlier. This flaw involves an authenticated SQL injection (CVE-2025-13001) accessible only to users with administrative privileges. While the requirement for admin-level access reduces the probability of remote anonymous exploitation, the potential impact is significant if an attacker gains or abuses admin credentials. The CVSS-equivalent severity rating is 7.6, aligning with injection vulnerabilities categorized under OWASP A3.

Managed-WP prioritizes these security issues and provides this comprehensive analysis: the technical implications, affected parties, detection methods, immediate mitigations, development guidelines, and proactive protection capabilities embedded in our managed Web Application Firewall (WAF) service. This is aimed at WordPress site owners, administrators, and developers needing pragmatic, security-first insights to safeguard their environments.

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Table of Contents

• Overview and risk summary
• Technical background on SQL injection in this context
• Potential attacker impact
• Who is vulnerable
• How to detect exploitation
• Immediate mitigation steps
• Developer remediation advice
• How Managed-WP protection reduces exposure
• Recommended managed firewall rules
• Incident response checklist
• WordPress admin hardening best practices
• Routine monitoring and operational recommendations
• Get protected today — free & premium plans
• Conclusion

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Overview and Risk Summary

• Affected Software: WordPress Donation plugin, versions ≤ 1.0.
• Vulnerability Type: Authenticated SQL Injection accessible via admin roles.
• CVE Reference: CVE-2025-13001.
• Severity: Technically high (injection), with actual risk dependent on compromised admin accounts.
• Patch Status: No official patch available at disclosure time; apply virtual patching and hardening urgently.
• Managed-WP Position: Immediate mitigation is essential using virtual patching with WAF rules and strengthening admin access controls until vendor fixes are deployed.

Why This Matters: SQL injection gives attackers the power to manipulate your database directly—potentially exposing sensitive data or gaining full site control—especially if admin credentials fall into the wrong hands.

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Technical Background — Understanding the SQL Injection

SQL injection occurs when unsanitized input is inserted into SQL queries, allowing attackers to alter query logic. In this vulnerability:

• Only authenticated administrators can reach the vulnerable code paths (e.g., plugin settings API or admin AJAX endpoints).
• Unsanitized input from these admin interfaces is concatenated directly into SQL commands without parameterization.
• If attackers compromise an admin account or act maliciously as an admin, they can execute crafted input to modify database behavior.

Unlike remote anonymous exploits, this vulnerability leverages elevated privileges, but the risk remains critical due to frequent credential compromises and insider threats.

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Potential Impact of Exploitation

Successful exploitation allows attackers to:

• Extract sensitive WordPress data, including users, emails, hashed passwords, and plugin configurations.
• Alter database entries—creating unauthorized admin accounts or changing site options.
• Plant persistent malicious content like backdoors or stored cross-site scripting (XSS) via database modifications.
• Escalate to external systems using stolen credentials stored in the database.
• Cause denial of service via malicious query overhead or corruption.
• Compromise the entire WordPress installation.

Given that admin credentials are common targets of phishing, credential reuse, or attackers with physical access, the vulnerability substantially increases security risk.

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Who Should Be Concerned?

• Sites using the Donation plugin at version 1.0 or lower.
• Environments with multiple admins or shared admin credentials without strong authentication.
• Installations where wp-admin and admin-ajax.php endpoints lack additional access restrictions.
• Sites without managed firewall protections, strong monitoring, and secure backup policies.

If you manage multiple WordPress instances, a single compromise could ripple across networks—prompt action is critical.

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How to Detect if You Are Affected or Compromised

1. Audit Plugins and Versions:
   • Check your installed plugins via WP Admin > Plugins, confirming Donation plugin version ≤ 1.0.
   • Use Managed-WP dashboards or other tools for auditing across multiple sites.
2. Monitor Administrator Activity:
   • Review audit logs for unusual admin logins or changes to admin accounts and plugin/theme files.
   • Check access logs for suspicious POST requests on wp-admin or admin-ajax.php, especially from unrecognized IPs.
3. Database Forensics:
   • Inspect slow-query or general query logs (if available) for suspicious query patterns (e.g., UNION statements or references to information_schema).
   • Check for unexpected entries or modified timestamps in key tables like wp_options and wp_users.
4. Malware Scanning:
   • Run thorough malware scans with Managed-WP or trusted scanners to identify injected PHP shells or suspicious scripts.
5. Signs of Compromise to Watch:
   • New or altered admin users with generic emails.
   • Unexpected changes to site URLs.
   • Unusual scheduled tasks (cron jobs) calling remote resources.
   • Unexplained outbound network activity on hosting servers.

Any confirmation of these indicators mandates immediate incident response.

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Immediate Mitigation Steps

If using Donation plugin ≤ 1.0, follow this prioritized action plan immediately:

1. Isolate and Deactivate
   – Temporarily disable the Donation plugin via WP Admin if possible.
   – If admin access is compromised, rename the plugin folder via SFTP or hosting panel to disable it.
2. Secure Admin Access
   – Enforce strong, unique passwords for all admin accounts.
   – Mandate two-factor authentication (2FA) for admin users.
   – Restrict wp-admin and admin-ajax.php access by IP whitelisting or VPN where feasible.
3. Rotate Credentials and Secrets
   – Rotate database credentials and any sensitive API keys stored in the site.
4. Restore from Clean Backup
   – If compromise is suspected, restore site from backup predating the incident.
   – Secure the environment (updated passwords, active WAF) prior to reactivation.
5. Conduct Scans and Enable Monitoring
   – Perform full malware and integrity scans.
   – Activate and review logs for suspicious activity.
6. Evaluate Plugin Necessity
   – Consider removing the Donation plugin until an official patch is available or switch to alternative donation solutions.
7. Prevent Re-Infection
   – Audit for rogue scheduled tasks, unauthorized plugins, or suspicious files.

These measures drastically lower exposure and buy time to implement a sustainable fix.

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Developer Remediation Guidance

Developers managing the Donation plugin must remediate this SQL injection vulnerability thoroughly by properly sanitizing and validating inputs. Key techniques include:

• Utilizing $wpdb->prepare to safely parameterize dynamic SQL queries.
• Using $wpdb->insert, $wpdb->update, and $wpdb->delete for safer data operations.
• Validating and sanitizing all input (e.g., intval(), sanitize_text_field(), wp_verify_nonce()).
• Avoiding direct concatenation of user data into SQL queries.
• Escaping output appropriately when rendering data.

Unsafe example (do not use):

// Vulnerable: concatenates user input directly into SQL
$id = $_POST['donation_id'];
$sql = "SELECT * FROM {$wpdb->prefix}donations WHERE id = $id";
$results = $wpdb->get_results($sql);

Secure alternatives:

1) Using $wpdb->prepare:

$id = intval($_POST['donation_id']);
$sql = $wpdb->prepare(
    "SELECT * FROM {$wpdb->prefix}donations WHERE id = %d",
    $id
);
$results = $wpdb->get_results($sql);

2) Inserting data with proper sanitization:

$insert = $wpdb->insert(
    "{$wpdb->prefix}donations",
    [
        'amount' => floatval($_POST['amount']),
        'payer_email' => sanitize_email($_POST['email'])
    ],
    ['%f', '%s']
);

3) Always verify capabilities and nonces for admin actions:

• Check current_user_can('manage_options').
• Use wp_verify_nonce() in AJAX requests.

Unit testing and static analysis should be part of the development lifecycle to catch potential SQL vulnerabilities early.

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How Managed-WP Protects You

Managed-WP offers a multi-layered defense strategy engineered to shield your WordPress sites from known and emerging vulnerabilities like this while official patches are unavailable:

1. Managed WAF with Virtual Patching
   • Deploys targeted WAF rules detecting and blocking SQL injection payloads, especially through admin interfaces.
   • Prevents exploitation attempts before reaching vulnerable plugin code, buying critical remediation time.
2. Admin Access Hardening
   • Restricts access to wp-admin and admin-ajax.php based on IP or CAPTCHA filtering.
   • Offers brute force protection and logout event detection.
3. Malware Scanning & Integrity Checks
   • Automated PHP and WordPress file scans for injected or altered code signatures.
4. Outbound Traffic Monitoring
   • Detects suspicious external connections indicative of data exfiltration or command-and-control activities.
5. Incident Response & Remediation Support
   • Comprehensive playbooks and, for higher tiers, expert hands-on malware removal and cleanup assistance.
6. Centralized Reporting & Alerts
   • Consolidated vulnerability reports and trend analysis for managing multiple sites.

Virtual patching is crucial: Because exploitation relies on authenticated input, Managed-WP’s fine-grained WAF rules intercept suspicious requests at admin endpoints, mitigating risk without blocking legitimate administrator tasks.

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Recommended Managed-WP Firewall Rules (Examples)

Our managed rules balance security with usability:

1. Block SQL meta-operators in admin requests
   • Targeting /wp-admin/* and admin-ajax.php endpoints.
   • Block requests containing patterns like UNION SELECT, INFORMATION_SCHEMA, SLEEP(, BENCHMARK(, –, /* from untrusted sources.
2. Enforce type checks
   • Deny non-numeric values in parameters expected to be integers (e.g., donation_id).
3. Block tautology payloads
   • Intercept common tautology expressions like “1=1” in untrusted sessions.
4. Rate-limit admin AJAX DB-modifying actions
   • Alert on abnormal POST request spikes to admin AJAX.
5. Restrict suspicious keywords for admins on untrusted IPs
   • Apply stricter filtering for admin sessions from unexpected locations.
6. Granular lock on Donation plugin admin endpoints
   • Block SQL token patterns in URLs and inputs for donation-specific admin pages.

Enabling Managed-WP’s “tight” security profile for admin areas gives strong protection with minimal false alarms.

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Incident Response & Recovery Checklist

1. Put the site into maintenance mode or restrict admin access via firewall rules.
2. Reset admin passwords and enforce two-factor authentication for all admin users.
3. Rotate all credentials and sensitive keys stored in the website or database.
4. Take forensic snapshots of server and database before any changes.
5. Restore from a trusted backup prior to compromise.
6. Rescan the site for malware and confirm removal of backdoors.
7. Analyze logs to determine attack window and data potentially accessed.
8. Notify stakeholders and comply with legal breach notification obligations.
9. Apply official patches and developer fixes promptly.
10. Maintain ongoing monitoring and audits post-recovery.

Detailed documentation is vital in containing damage and rebuilding trust.

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WordPress Admin Hardening Best Practices

• Minimize the number of admin accounts and assign least privilege roles.
• Use strong, unique admin usernames/passwords managed via a password manager.
• Enable mandatory two-factor authentication for all admin users.
• Impose password rotation and auditing policies on larger teams.
• Restrict admin/backend access by IP or VPN wherever feasible.
• Set up alerts on new admin accounts, role changes, and login anomalies.
• Regularly audit installed plugins/themes and remove unused ones.
• Maintain off-site backups with tested restoration procedures.

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Weekly Operational Guidance

• Conduct weekly scans for plugin/theme vulnerabilities and review Managed-WP alert dashboards.
• Prioritize patching for high-risk plugins, especially those handling payments or user data.
• Stay informed on public vulnerability announcements relevant to your sites.
• For multi-site managers, use centralized tools to maintain visibility and schedule updates.

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Start with Essential Defenses

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• Managed firewall with WordPress-tailored WAF rules blocking known exploits.
• Automated malware scanning and threat detection.
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FAQs

Q: Is this SQL injection a serious risk if it requires admin access?
A: Absolutely. Admin accounts are often targeted via phishing, credential compromise, or insider threats. An attacker with admin privileges can cause severe damage by exploiting SQLi or other vulnerabilities.

Q: Should I immediately uninstall the Donation plugin?
A: If the plugin is non-essential, temporarily removing or disabling it is the safest course. If needed, secure admin access rigorously and enable Managed-WP protections until a patch is released.

Q: Will Managed-WP block exploit attempts even when admins are legitimately logged in?
A: Yes. The WAF is designed to detect malicious patterns while minimizing friction on legitimate admin actions. Temporary whitelisting or IP allowlisting is available for exceptional cases.

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Final Recommendations

1. Immediately assume any site running Donation plugin ≤ 1.0 is vulnerable.
2. Activate Managed-WP Basic protection now to gain virtual patching and scanning.
3. Disable the vulnerable plugin or isolate admin access; enforce strong credentials and 2FA.
4. If you are a developer or plugin maintainer, deploy parameterized queries, sanitize inputs, and release patches swiftly.
5. Implement continuous monitoring with backups and audit logs to detect potential misuse or breaches.

Our Managed-WP security experts stand ready to assist—from free basic protection to comprehensive incident remediation.

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About the Author

This analysis and guide were prepared by the Managed-WP Security Research & Incident Response team. Our mission is to empower WordPress site owners with enterprise-grade, layered security: proactive virtual patching, strict access controls, automated scanning, and expert remediation.

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For additional technical resources or support applying these recommendations, sign up and access our dashboard at https://my.managed-wp.com/buy/managed-wp-free-plan/.

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