CVE-2025-5590 in Owl Carousel Responsive Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 06/26/2025
The Owl carousel responsive plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to time-based SQL Injection via the ‘id’ parameter in all versions up to, and including, 1.9 due to insufficient escaping on the user supplied parameter and lack of sufficient preparation on the existing SQL query. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Contributor-level access and above, to append additional SQL queries into already existing queries that can be used to extract sensitive information from the database.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-5590 affects the Owl carousel responsive plugin for WordPress, a widely used carousel plugin that enables users to create responsive image and content carousels on their websites. This particular flaw exists in all versions up to and including 1.9, representing a significant security risk for WordPress installations that utilize this plugin. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization practices within the plugin's codebase, specifically in how it handles user-supplied data when processing carousel identifiers.
The technical flaw manifests through a time-based SQL injection vulnerability that occurs when the plugin processes the 'id' parameter through the WordPress admin interface. This vulnerability is classified as CWE-89, which represents SQL injection flaws where attackers can manipulate database queries through malicious input. The root cause lies in the insufficient escaping of the user-supplied 'id' parameter before incorporating it into SQL queries, combined with inadequate preparation of existing SQL statements. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can append additional SQL commands to existing queries, effectively bypassing normal input validation mechanisms and gaining unauthorized access to the underlying database.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is particularly concerning given that it requires only Contributor-level access or higher to exploit, which is a relatively low privilege level within WordPress's user permission system. This means that attackers who have gained access to a contributor account or higher can leverage this vulnerability to extract sensitive information from the WordPress database. The time-based nature of the injection allows attackers to infer database contents through response timing variations, making it particularly stealthy and difficult to detect through normal monitoring. This type of attack can lead to data breaches, credential theft, and potentially full system compromise depending on the database contents and access permissions.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002, which involves data from information repositories, and T1078.004, which covers legitimate credentials. The attack path begins with an authenticated attacker with contributor privileges, making it a realistic threat vector that could be exploited by insiders or compromised users. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which involves phishing with malicious attachments or links, as attackers might gain initial access through social engineering before exploiting this specific vulnerability. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to the latest plugin version, implementing proper input validation, and monitoring for unusual database access patterns. Additionally, the principle of least privilege should be enforced to limit the potential damage from compromised contributor accounts, and database query logging should be enabled to detect anomalous SQL execution patterns. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper input sanitization and parameterized queries in preventing SQL injection attacks, particularly in web applications that handle user-supplied data through administrative interfaces.