CVE-2024-2694

Betheme <= 27.5.6 - Authenticated (Contributor+) PHP Object Injection

2024-08-29 16:01
Francesco Carlucci

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 27.5.7
Affected Theme
Betheme
Affected Version
<= 27.5.6
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted Data
CVE
CVE-2024-2694
View all Betheme vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-2694 is a high-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in the Betheme WordPress theme, affecting versions <= 27.5.6. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires an authenticated account at Contributor level or above. The issue is fixed in version 27.5.7; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed August 2024, reported by Francesco Carlucci.

Vulnerability Overview

The Betheme theme for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 27.5.6 via deserialization of untrusted input of the 'mfn-page-items' post meta value. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with contributor-level access and above, to inject a PHP Object. No known POP chain is present in the vulnerable plugin. 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 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

Betheme <= 27.5.6 carries this weakness at mfn-page-items, and reaching it takes an account at Contributor 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 Betheme the fix is 27.5.7: builds <= 27.5.6 are affected, anything from 27.5.7 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 27.5.7, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

An attacker needs Contributor 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: Betheme 27.5.7 closes this, and updating the theme is the step that ends it.

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External References

Related records

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