SmartseoWordPress extension · Axiomthemes
CVE-2025-28953
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 · uneditedImproper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') vulnerability in axiomthemes smart SEO smartSEO allows SQL Injection.This issue affects smart SEO: from n/a through <= 4.0.
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 · moderate confidenceSQL injection vulnerability in axiomthemes smartSEO plugin allows attackers to inject malicious SQL commands through unsanitized input. The improper neutralization of special elements in SQL queries enables unauthorized database access, potentially leading to data theft, privilege escalation, or complete system compromise.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
SmartseoWordPress extension
all versionsCVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:L
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm smartSEO plugin installationAccess the WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins, and search for 'smartSEO' or 'Axiomthemes smartSEO' to verify the plugin is present in the environment.Affected if The smartSEO plugin by Axiomthemes appears in the installed plugins list.
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Check installed versionIn the Plugins list, locate the smartSEO plugin and note the version number displayed under the plugin name. Compare this to the affected versions.Affected if Any version of smartSEO is installed, since all versions are affected according to the CVE.
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Verify plugin is activeIn the WordPress Plugins admin page, check if the smartSEO plugin shows as 'Active' (not deactivated or deleted).Affected if The smartSEO plugin is currently activated on the WordPress site.
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Identify accessible input formsNavigate to the smartSEO plugin settings page (usually under Settings or the plugin dedicated menu) and identify any input fields where user data is collected and potentially submitted to the database.Affected if The plugin has active input fields (such as SEO settings, meta fields, or configuration options) that accept user input.
The environment is affected if the Axiomthemes smartSEO plugin is installed, activated, and has accessible input fields that could accept user-supplied data.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade smartSEO to the latest version immediately. If no patched version exists, disable the plugin until a fix is available, or implement input validation and parameterized queries as an interim measure.
Fix this in Smartseo
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-28953 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-28953 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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