What the vulnerability does
01Description
The Advanced Ads plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 1.52.1 via deserialization of untrusted input in the 'placement_slug' parameter. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers to inject a PHP Object. No 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.
Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms
02Summary
Advanced Ads versions up to 1.52.1 contain a deserialization vulnerability in how they process untrusted data. An authenticated administrator can craft malicious input that causes the plugin to deserialize and execute arbitrary code. This requires admin-level access and affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the site.
What an attacker can do
03Attacker Capabilities
Run arbitrary code on the site with full admin privileges.
Potential impact on your site
04Site Impact
A compromised admin account can fully compromise your site, steal data, modify content, or install malware.
Conditions required to exploit
05Prerequisites
Attacker must have administrator access to the WordPress site.
Key dates
06Disclosure timeline
May 9, 2024
CVE published
April 8, 2026
Record updated
