What the vulnerability does
01Description
The WordPress Importer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 0.8.3 via deserialization of untrusted input in the 'maybe_unserialize' function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Administrator-level access and above, to inject a PHP Object. No known POP chain is present in the vulnerable software, which means this vulnerability has no impact unless another plugin or theme containing a POP chain is installed on the site. If a POP chain is present via an additional plugin or theme installed on the target system, it may allow the attacker to perform actions like delete arbitrary files, retrieve sensitive data, or execute code depending on the POP chain present.
Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms
02Summary
The WordPress Importer plugin through version 0.8.3 deserializes untrusted data without validation, allowing an authenticated administrator to execute arbitrary PHP code on the site. An attacker with admin access can craft malicious serialized objects that execute code when processed during import operations. This requires administrator-level privileges but poses a complete compromise risk.
What an attacker can do
03Attacker Capabilities
Run arbitrary PHP code on the site with full site privileges.
Potential impact on your site
04Site Impact
A compromised admin account can fully compromise your site, including database access and file modification.
Conditions required to exploit
05Prerequisites
Attacker must have WordPress administrator account access.
Key dates
06Disclosure timeline
March 26, 2025
CVE published
April 8, 2026
Record updated
