WP Editor <= 1.2.9 - Authenticated (Admin+) PHAR Deserialization
Strategic Overview
- Status
- Patched in 1.2.9.1
- Affected Plugin
- WP Editor
- Affected Version
<= 1.2.9- CVSS
- 7.2High
- Weakness type
- CWE-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted Data
- CVE
CVE-2022-2446
At a glance
CVE-2022-2446 is a high-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in the WP Editor WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 1.2.9. It carries a CVSS score of 7.2 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Admin level or above. The issue is fixed in version 1.2.9.1; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed September 2024, reported by Rasoul Jahanshahi.
Vulnerability Overview
The WP Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to deserialization of untrusted input via the 'current_theme_root' parameter in versions up to, and including 1.2.9. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with administrative privileges to call files using a PHAR wrapper that will deserialize and call arbitrary PHP Objects that can be used to perform a variety of malicious actions granted a POP chain is also present. It also requires that the attacker is successful in uploading a file with the serialized payload.
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 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
WP Editor <= 1.2.9 carries this weakness at current_theme_root, and reaching it takes an account at Admin level or above. 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 WP Editor the fix is 1.2.9.1: builds <= 1.2.9 are affected, anything from 1.2.9.1 onward is not.
Remediation
Update to version 1.2.9.1, or a newer patched version
How does WordSec protect against this?
An attacker needs Admin access first, so the firewall sees the attempt as traffic from a logged-in account: 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: WP Editor 1.2.9.1 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.
- Firewall
- Scanner
- Alerts
External References
Related records
Other vulnerabilities in WP Editor
- 9.8CVE-2016-10886: WP Editor Incorrect Permission Assignment
CVE-2016-10886 - 8.8CVE-2026-3772: WP Editor <= 1.2.9.2 CSRF to Remote Code Execution
CVE-2026-3772 - 8.8CVE-2016-10885: WP Editor < 1.2.6 Cross-Site Request Forgery
CVE-2016-10885 - 7.2CVE-2025-3294: WP Editor Directory Traversal to Arbitrary File Update
CVE-2025-3294 - 7.2CVE-2021-24151: WP Editor <= 1.2.6.3 SQL injection
CVE-2021-24151 - 6.1CVE-2024-24700: WP Editor <= 1.2.8 Reflected Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2024-24700 - 6.1CVE-2016-10877: WP Editor <= 1.2.6.2 Cross-Site Scripting
CVE-2016-10877 - 5.3CVE-2024-25591: WP Editor <= 1.2.7 Sensitive Information Exposure
CVE-2024-25591
Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C