Vulnerability identifier: #VU16525

Vulnerability risk: High

CVSSv3.1: 9 [CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2018-20148

CWE-ID: CWE-20

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: Yes

Vulnerable software:
WordPress
Web applications / CMS

Vendor: WordPress.ORG

Description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system.

The weakness exists due to PHP object injection. A remote attacker can craft meta data in a way that resulted in PHP object injection and arbitrary code execution.

Mitigation
Update to version 5.0.1.

Vulnerable software versions

WordPress: 5.0, 4.9 - 4.9.8, 4.0 - 4.0.21, 4.1 - 4.1.21, 4.2 - 4.2.18, 4.3 - 4.3.14, 4.4 - 4.4.13, 4.5 - 4.5.12, 4.6 - 4.6.9, 4.7 - 4.7.8, 4.8 - 4.8.4, 3.4.0 - 3.4.2, 3.9.0 - 3.9.22, 3.8 - 3.8.24, 3.7 - 3.7.24

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External links
http://wordpress.org/news/2018/12/wordpress-5-0-1-security-release/

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, proof of concept for this vulnerability is available.