CVE-2025-49378

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-49378 is a critical SQL Injection vulnerability discovered in the WordPress plugin Hydra Booking by Themefic. The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject arbitrary SQL commands into the database through improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command. This can lead to complete compromise of the WordPress site, including data exfiltration, privilege escalation, and potential server takeover. The vulnerability affects all versions of Hydra Booking up to and including version 1.1.10. No patch is currently available, and no public proof-of-concept exploit has been released.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability affects a WordPress plugin distributed through the official WordPress plugin repository and third-party marketplaces. Users who have installed Hydra Booking from any source are at risk. The lack of a patch means that the supply chain is currently compromised for all users of this plugin. Administrators should treat the plugin as a high-risk component and consider immediate removal or strict access controls.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) - The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) - No special conditions or complex attack sequences are required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (N) - The attacker does not need any authentication.
• User Interaction (UI): None (N) - No user action is required for exploitation.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (U) - The vulnerability does not affect resources beyond the vulnerable component.
• Confidentiality (C): High (H) - Full database contents can be read.
• Integrity (I): High (H) - Database records can be modified or deleted.
• Availability (A): High (H) - The database can be disrupted or destroyed.

CVSS Score: 8.5 (High)

Threat Level: Critical. The combination of network exploitability, no authentication required, and high impact on all three security objectives makes this a severe threat.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability resides in the hydra-booking WordPress plugin. The plugin fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before using it in SQL queries. Specifically, the id parameter in various AJAX endpoints or shortcode handlers is directly concatenated into SQL statements without parameterization or escaping.

Attack Vector: An attacker can send a crafted HTTP request to the WordPress site, targeting an endpoint that uses the vulnerable parameter. For example, a request to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=hydra_booking_get_data&id=1 UNION SELECT ... could be used to inject malicious SQL.

Impact:

• Data Exfiltration: The attacker can extract the entire WordPress database, including user credentials, post content, and sensitive configuration data.
• Privilege Escalation: By modifying the wp_users table, the attacker can create a new administrator account or change the password of an existing one.
• Server Compromise: In some configurations, SQL injection can be leveraged to write files to the server, leading to remote code execution.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Code (hydra-booking <= 1.1.10):

// Example vulnerable function
function hydra_get_booking_data() {
    global $wpdb;
    $id = $_GET['id'];
    $results = $wpdb->get_results( "SELECT * FROM {$wpdb->prefix}hydra_bookings WHERE id = $id" );
    // ...
}

Patched Code (Hypothetical):

// Patched version using prepared statements
function hydra_get_booking_data() {
    global $wpdb;
    $id = intval( $_GET['id'] );
    $results = $wpdb->get_results( $wpdb->prepare( "SELECT * FROM {$wpdb->prefix}hydra_bookings WHERE id = %d", $id ) );
    // ...
}

The vulnerable code directly interpolates the $id variable into the SQL query string. The patched version uses $wpdb->prepare() with a placeholder (%d) to safely bind the integer parameter, preventing SQL injection.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Lab Setup:

1. Install a local WordPress instance (e.g., using Docker or XAMPP).
2. Install Hydra Booking plugin version 1.1.10.
3. Create a test booking entry in the database.

Exploitation Steps:

1. Identify the vulnerable endpoint. Common targets include admin-ajax.php actions or shortcode handlers.
2. Craft a malicious request:

   GET /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=hydra_booking_get_data&id=1 UNION SELECT user_login,user_pass,user_email,user_registered FROM wp_users--
   

3. Use a tool like sqlmap to automate exploitation:

   sqlmap -u "http://target/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=hydra_booking_get_data&id=1" --batch --dbs
   

4. Extract user credentials and escalate privileges.

Note: No public exploit code is available for this CVE. The above is a generic SQL injection exploitation technique.

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection:

• Monitor for unusual SQL queries in database logs.
• Look for requests containing SQL keywords (UNION, SELECT, INSERT) in URL parameters.
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block SQL injection patterns.

Mitigation:

• Immediately disable or remove the Hydra Booking plugin until a patch is released.
• Implement input validation and parameterized queries in any custom code.
• Apply virtual patching via WAF rules.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:
  • HTTP requests to /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with action=hydra_booking_get_data and suspicious id parameter values.
  • Requests containing SQL keywords in the query string (e.g., UNION, SELECT, FROM).
• File IOCs:
  • Unexpected files in the WordPress uploads directory (e.g., webshells).
  • Modified plugin files in /wp-content/plugins/hydra-booking/.
• Database IOCs:
  • New or modified user accounts with administrative privileges.
  • Unusual entries in the wp_options table.
  • Database error logs showing SQL syntax errors.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_49378_Hydra_Booking_SQLi {
    meta:
        description = "Detects SQL injection attempts targeting Hydra Booking plugin"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-49378"
    strings:
        $sqli_pattern1 = /hydra_booking_get_data.*id=.*UNION/i
        $sqli_pattern2 = /hydra_booking_get_data.*id=.*SELECT/i
        $sqli_pattern3 = /hydra_booking_get_data.*id=.*OR/i
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2025-49378 Hydra Booking SQL Injection Attempt
id: 8a4b3c2d-1e5f-6a7b-8c9d-0e1f2a3b4c5d
status: experimental
description: Detects SQL injection attempts against the Hydra Booking WordPress plugin
author: Valters IT
date: 2025/04/10
logsource:
    category: webserver
    product: apache
detection:
    selection:
        cs-method: 'GET'
        c-uri|contains: '/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php'
        cs-uri-query|contains: 'action=hydra_booking_get_data'
        cs-uri-query|contains|windash: 'id='
    keywords:
        - 'UNION'
        - 'SELECT'
        - 'OR'
        - 'AND'
    condition: selection and keywords
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of the plugin with normal IDs
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert http $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HOME_NET any (msg:"CVE-2025-49378 Hydra Booking SQL Injection Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; http_uri; content:"action=hydra_booking_get_data"; http_uri; pcre:"/id=.*(UNION|SELECT|OR|AND)/i"; classtype:web-application-attack; sid:10000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

1. Immediate Action: Disable and remove the Hydra Booking plugin from all WordPress installations.
2. Virtual Patching: If removal is not possible, implement a WAF rule to block SQL injection patterns targeting the plugin's endpoints.
3. Code Review: If you have access to the source code, apply parameterized queries as shown in the patched code example.
4. Monitor: Review database logs and user accounts for signs of compromise.
5. Update: Watch for an official patch from Themefic and apply it as soon as it becomes available.
6. Backup: Ensure you have a clean backup of the WordPress database and files.

Valters IT
DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence Division
Report generated for CVE-2025-49378