CVE-2022-2440: theme editor vulnerability

What is known

The Theme Editor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to deserialization of untrusted input via the 'images_array' parameter in versions up to, and including 2.8. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers with administrative privileges to call files using a PHAR wrapper that will deserialize and call arbitrary PHP Objects that can be used to perform a variety of malicious actions granted a POP chain is also present. It also requires that the attacker is successful in uploading a file with the serialized payload.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2022-2440, a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.2) affecting theme editor, may affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the vulnerable environment. The exact impact depends on the installed version, exposed interfaces and deployment configuration.

Recommended administrator action

Confirm whether theme editor is present and compare installed versions with the vendor advisory and NVD record. Apply the vendor patch or documented mitigation; until remediation is complete, reduce exposure of affected interfaces, review relevant logs and monitor for indicators of exploitation. DataHouse can support version verification, managed patching, network exposure reduction, log review and backup validation for dedicated, cloud and colocated environments.

Sources

• NVD
• Reference
• Reference
• Reference