What the vulnerability does
01Description
The Advanced AJAX Product Filters plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to PHP Object Injection in all versions up to, and including, 3.1.9.6 via deserialization of untrusted input in the shortcode_check function within the Live Composer compatibility layer. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with Author-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. Note: This vulnerability requires the Live Composer plugin to also be installed and active.
Explanation of Vulnerability in Simple Terms
02Summary
Advanced AJAX Product Filters versions up to 3.1.9.6 contain a deserialization vulnerability that allows authenticated users to execute arbitrary code on the site. An attacker with low-level access can craft malicious serialized data to trigger code execution. This affects the plugin's core filtering functionality and requires no user interaction to exploit.
What an attacker can do
03Attacker Capabilities
Run their own code on the site with the privileges of the WordPress user account.
Potential impact on your site
04Site Impact
Any authenticated user can compromise the entire site, steal data, modify content, or take the site offline.
Conditions required to exploit
05Prerequisites
Attacker must have a low-level user account (subscriber or above) on the WordPress site.
Key dates
06Disclosure timeline
February 18, 2026
CVE published
April 8, 2026
Record updated
