dbcve.org
SQL InjectionWeakness · CWE-89

CVE-2025-10163

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The List category posts plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to time-based SQL Injection via the ‘starting_with’ parameter of the catlist shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 0.91.0 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.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The List Category Posts WordPress plugin versions up to 0.91.0 contains a time-based SQL Injection vulnerability in the catlist shortcode's 'starting_with' parameter. Authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access or higher can inject malicious SQL queries due to insufficient input sanitization and improper SQL query preparation, potentially allowing extraction of sensitive data from the database.

MitigationUpdate the List Category Posts plugin to version 0.91.1 or later, which includes proper escaping and prepared statements for the 'starting_with' parameter. Verify that Contributor-level users do not have unnecessary database access privileges.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify List Category Posts plugin is installed
    Navigate to WordPress admin dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins and look for 'List Category Posts' in the plugin list. Note the version number displayed next to the plugin name.
    Affected if The plugin is installed and the displayed version is 0.91.0 or lower.
  2. Check the exact plugin version number
    In the plugins list, locate the 'Version' column for List Category Posts. If not visible, click on the plugin to view its details. Compare the version against the affected range (0.91.0 and below).
    Affected if The installed version is 0.91.0 or any version below 0.91.1.
  3. Identify use of the catlist shortcode with starting_with
    Search your WordPress posts, pages, and widgets for the shortcode [catlist] with the 'starting_with' parameter. This can be done via WordPress admin > Posts > All Posts, or by searching the wp_posts table in the database for occurrences of 'starting_with'.
    Affected if The shortcode [catlist starting_with=...] is present in any published content.
  4. Review user roles with Contributor access
    Go to WordPress admin > Users and review the role assigned to each user. Identify users with Contributor role or higher (Author, Editor, Administrator).
    Affected if There are users with Contributor-level or higher access who could potentially exploit this vulnerability.

You are affected if the List Category Posts plugin version is 0.91.0 or below AND the catlist shortcode with the starting_with parameter is in use on your site.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the List Category Posts plugin to version 0.91.1 or later, which includes proper escaping and prepared statements for the 'starting_with' parameter. Verify that Contributor-level users do not have unnecessary database access privileges.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Version greater than 0.91.0 (check WordPress plugin repository for latest release)

  1. Check the current version of the List category posts plugin installed on your WordPress site
  2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in the WordPress admin dashboard
  3. Locate 'List category posts' and verify the version number
  4. If the version is 0.91.0 or lower, update the plugin to the latest available version
  5. After updating, verify the fix by confirming the plugin version is above 0.91.0
  6. Test the catlist shortcode with the 'starting_with' parameter to ensure functionality works correctly

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-10163 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data