CVE-2025-52797
📋 TL;DR
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the josepsitjar StoryMap WordPress plugin allows attackers to trick authenticated administrators into performing unintended SQL injection attacks. This affects all WordPress sites running StoryMap plugin versions up to 2.1. The vulnerability combines CSRF with SQL injection, enabling data theft or manipulation.
💻 Affected Systems
- josepsitjar StoryMap WordPress Plugin
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could execute arbitrary SQL commands through administrator accounts, leading to complete database compromise, data exfiltration, or website defacement.
Likely Case
Attackers would steal sensitive data from the WordPress database, modify content, or create backdoor administrator accounts.
If Mitigated
With proper CSRF protections and input validation, the SQL injection would be prevented even if CSRF occurs.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tricking an authenticated administrator into clicking a malicious link or visiting a compromised page.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.2 or later
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Log into WordPress admin panel. 2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. 3. Find 'StoryMap' plugin. 4. Click 'Update Now' if available. 5. If no update appears, manually download version 2.2+ from WordPress repository and replace plugin files.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable StoryMap Plugin
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable plugin until patched.
wp plugin deactivate storymap
Implement CSRF Protection
allAdd WordPress nonce verification to all plugin forms and AJAX requests.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict administrator access to trusted networks only
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block SQL injection patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin > Plugins > StoryMap version. If version is 2.1 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
wp plugin get storymap --field=versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm StoryMap plugin version is 2.2 or higher in WordPress admin panel.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual SQL queries in WordPress/database logs
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful admin login
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php with SQL patterns
- Requests with suspicious referer headers
SIEM Query:
source="wordpress.log" AND ("admin-ajax.php" AND "storymap" AND ("SELECT", "INSERT", "UPDATE", "DELETE"))