CVE-2025-0855

PGS Core <= 5.8.0 - Unauthenticated PHP Object Injection

2025-05-06 00:00
István Márton

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 5.9.0
Affected Plugin
PGS Core
Affected Version
<= 5.8.0
CVSS
9.8Critical
Weakness type
CWE-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted Data
CVE
CVE-2025-0855
View all PGS Core vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2025-0855 is a critical-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in the PGS Core WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 5.8.0. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 5.9.0; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed May 2025, reported by István Márton.

Vulnerability Overview

The PGS Core plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 5.8.0 via deserialization of untrusted input in the 'import_header' function. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to inject a PHP Object. No known POP chain is present in the vulnerable software. If a POP chain is present via an additional plugin or theme installed on the target system, it could allow the attacker to delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute code.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data

PGS Core <= 5.8.0 carries this weakness at import_header, and reaching it takes no account at all. Deserialization of untrusted data means the application reconstructs objects from input a caller controls, letting the attacker choose which classes get instantiated and what their properties hold.

A workable chain turns deserialization into file writes, deletions or code execution, depending on what the loaded classes do in their magic methods. For PGS Core the fix is 5.9.0: builds <= 5.8.0 are affected, anything from 5.9.0 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 5.9.0, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Requests carrying this pattern arrive without a session, so nothing upstream of the firewall gets a chance to reject them: WordSec's web application firewall inspects request payloads before WordPress loads them. Classes like this one can leave something behind, so the staged malware scanner is the second half: it looks for dropped files and modified code rather than for the request that created them. None of that substitutes for the fix: PGS Core 5.9.0 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Firewall
  • Scanner
  • Login Security

External References

Related records

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